


Brewing Love

by notalwaysthevillian



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-13
Updated: 2019-10-18
Packaged: 2019-10-27 05:18:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 21,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17760521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notalwaysthevillian/pseuds/notalwaysthevillian
Summary: Remy works at his cousin's coffee shop. He likes it because Logan gives him free coffee. He also likes it because of the cutie that comes in at the same time every day.Will he ever win the cutie's affections?(Remile is the main ship. Starts off with Logicality and Prinxiety, works its way into LAMP.)





	1. Chapter 1

Setting the last stool on the counter, Remy took a step back. “You know, cuz, I was doubting this plan. But you’ve really pulled it off.”

Their new coffee shop looked great. The tan walls and the wooden floors worked well together. The Cozy Corner was full of pillows and bean bag chairs for anyone who’d need it. And, at Remy’s insistence, they had plenty of outlets.

It was perfect.

“ _We_ pulled it off.” Logan’s cheeks flushed pink. “I’d rather not admit it, but I needed the two of you to accomplish this.”

“Aww, Lo, that’s so sweet!” Patton pressed a kiss to Logan’s cheek, making his blush deepen.

Holding back a smirk at the nickname, Remy looked around. “Everything’s put up and clean. What time did you want me back here, Boss Man?”

Logan rolled his eyes. “ _Don’t_ call me that. And be here at 6.”

“So, 6:30? Gotcha.” With a wink at Patton, who giggled, Remy turned and headed out the door.

“No later than 6, Rem!”

Two minutes later, Remy was unlocking the door to his apartment. The second he walked in, Chai began winding around his legs, mewing.

“One second baby.”

Tossing his coat on the bench, he pulled her food out of the fridge, peeling away the lid. She plopped down in front of her food bowl, her tail swishing on the floor.

Remy scraped it into the food bowl with a spatula before gently rubbing her head. “There you go sweetie.”

Thankful that Logan had ordered them pizza earlier, Remy breezed through his nightly routine. When the clock hit 11, he popped his Ambien and threw the blankets over himself. Chai nudged the door open minutes later, jumping up and curling on her pillow.

“Goodnight, baby.”

The next morning, Remy groaned as his alarm went off, loud enough to scare Chai out of the room. He fumbled with his phone, sighing with relief as he managed to turn it off.

He stumbled into the shower, shivering as the icy water snapped him awake.

Once dressed, he fed Chai and grabbed a protein bar. Throwing on his bomber, he called out his goodbyes to her before heading out the door.

He walked into the shop at 6 on the dot, finding Logan and Patton already there.

“Wow, you’re on time for once?” Logan teased.

Remy raised an eyebrow. “You’ve got some flour on your cheek.”

Flushing a deep pink, Logan wiped it off. “I started the brews. Can you make sure the espresso machine has beans?”

Working in tandem, Logan and Remy opened the store. Every once in a while Patton would come out of the kitchen and put a pastry in the display case, as well as giving them compliments.

By the time it hit 7, they already had a few people waiting outside the door.

“Let ‘em in, Rem.”

Smiling brightly, Remy walked over and unlocked the door, throwing it open. “Welcome to Fuckoffee!”

“REMY!”

“FINE. You’re entering Get Roasted. If you want to be insulted, grab a mug on the left. If not, grab one on the right. See you at the counter, bitches.”

He held back a laugh as one of the older women gasped. “Is that how you treat your customers?”

“Hey, at least we’re giving you a choice. Would you rather we just insulted you right out the gate?”

The woman crossed her arms. “I think you should be more polite.”

“I think you shouldn’t tell me how to run my business.” Logan said as he walked up. He nudged Remy, who headed back behind the counter. “If you don’t like it, the door is right there, Helen.”

“It’s  _Susan_.” She corrected.

A laugh left Logan’s mouth. “It’s all the same to me.”

With a huff, Susan turned and headed out the door. Logan turned to the small group mingling by the mugs. “Any of you have an issue?”

“No way! That was awesome!” One of them said, flashing him a smile. “I’m telling all of my friends about this place.”

“I don’t care what you do.” Logan deadpanned before heading into the kitchen, hiding a smile as he heard the group laugh.

Remy leaned on the counter, watching as one of the girls grabbed a black ‘insults’ mug and brought it up. “Whaddaya want?”

“A venti vanilla bean latte.”

“One basic white girl, coming up!” He called out.

He quickly made the drink before ringing her up. “4 dollars or no drink.”

“Is that with tax?” She asked, inserting her card into the machine.

A snort came out of Remy’s mouth. “You know that the neither of us don’t understand how tax works.”

Grabbing her drink, she threw $5 in the tip jar. “Thanks!”

The rest of the morning flew by, with a decent amount of people getting offended and leaving. Around one, they started to slow down, leaving Remy some time to clean the machines.

“Pardon me?”

Remy whirled around, an insult on his tongue. It died immediately when he saw the ‘polite white’ mug in the man’s hand.

A hand that was attached to an extremely attractive body. Who knew a cardigan could look so good?

“Hello there.” Remy said, sliding over to the counter. “What can I get you, handsome?”

Big brown eyes blinked back at him through a pair of glasses. “Why thank you! I’ll have a hot cocoa please. With soy milk if you could.”

“No problem! Coming right up.”

Remy made the drink at lightning speed, hoping to chat a little more with the clueless cutie. He handed it over with a flirty smile. “What brings you to our neck of the woods?”

“Oh, one of my patients came in this morning and told me all about this place!” He waved his hand in the air as he talked. “He told me that it was a breath of fresh air compared to most other coffee shops. It was the most I’ve ever gotten him to talk in a session, so I just had to come check this place out. The concept is extremely interesting. How did you come up with the idea?”

“It was mostly my cousin that thought of it. I’d told him that I was sick of seeing people bully their way into getting a free drink at my favorite coffee shops.” Remy stopped his story for a second to ring up another customer. He handed them their pastry before launching right back into it. “Logan had been wanting to run a business for a while, so he mentioned having a place where you could fire back at the customers. And if you’re the boss, you can’t get in trouble for it. So this place was born.”

The man placed his now empty mug down, the charms on his bracelet jingling. Remy’s eyes glanced over the charms, seeing ‘he/him’ written on them.

“I like your bracelet.”

“Oh, thanks.” The blush that crept up his face just made him look even cuter. “It helps my patients. They know whether it’s a he day or a she day or sometimes a they day.”

Seeing the tentative look in his eyes, Remy reached out, running his hands over the charms. “Don’t worry. We’re extremely LGBTQ friendly. Logan is gay, his boyfriend is pan, and I’m bi. If anyone cracks an offensive joke here, Logan’s policy is that they have one chance to fix it. It hasn’t happened yet, but he says that he’ll educate them and if they’re still rude, then they’re banned.”

“I’ll be telling all of my patients about this place then.” The man rose from his seat, grabbing his mug to put in the dish tray. “Thank you again!”

Remy watched him carefully set his mug in the tray before heading out the door.

It was only when he was serving the next customer that he realized he’d forgotten to get the man’s name.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: teasing, cat, innuendo, kissing, food

“I thought I was the disaster gay.” Logan teased as he and Remy closed down the store. “At least I knew Patton’s name by the end of our first meeting.”

Remy scoffed, waving a hand. “Bitch, it took you months to realize you had feelings for him. And Patton asked  _you_ out, not the other way around.”

No response came, but Remy knew that internally Logan was making a Windows error noise. When he turned back around, he caught Patton coming out of the kitchen. The baker put a finger to his lips.

“Seriously ‘cuz, it’s great you two found each other.” Remy slid his sunglasses into his hair, lips twitching as Logan’s eyes followed the motion. “He’s good for you.”

“He is.” Logan agreed, his tone soft and loving. “I don’t know what I’d do without him behind me.”

Patton froze, one step away from Logan. “How did you know?”

“My love, there are many reflective surfaces in this room.” Logan spun around, flashing a grin. “And you’re not as quiet as you think.”

“Does that apply to the bed-”

“Thanks for the help Rem, you can go now!” Logan shouted, all but pushing his cousin out the door while Patton followed, giggling. “Be back at 6!”

“Use protection!” Remy called back before the door was slammed in his face. Through the glass pane he watched Logan head back to Patton and give him a kiss.

Starting to feel like he was intruding, he went home. Chai greeted him as usual and he went through the motions of his routine, wondering what it would be like if there was someone else there.

The next morning went by agonizingly slow as Remy waited for his mystery man to show up. His insults had a little more bite to them, which most of the customers enjoyed.

When one o’clock rolled around, the man stode in, a content smile on his face. He headed over and looked over the mugs. His smile turned into a frown as he looked through them, coming back when he’d found the one he was looking for.

The one he’d had the previous day.

It was a cute little thing, something Patton had picked out. There were 3 check boxes.  _Single_ ,  _taken_ , and  _watching Steven Universe_. The third was checked off with a golden star.

A smile spread across Remy’s face. Of course he’d like that mug.

His smile only grew as the man made his way over. “Hey there Sugar, what can I get you?”

“A hot chocolate, please.” The man sent him a smile.

Remy sucked in a deep breath, taking a moment to recover from the sheer radiance. “One hot chocolate for?”

“Oh my goodness gracious, I never introduced myself, did I? Dr. Emile Picani.” Emile held out a hand, ‘he/him’ charms dangling.

Remy shook it, feeling soft skin and long fingers. “Nice to know your name. I’m Remy.”

“Remy,” Emile said thoughtfully. Remy practically melted at the way his name rolled off of Emile’s tongue. “Is that short for anything?”

“Nope, just Remy.” He said quickly, turning to make the drink. He poured it in the cup and added the whipped cream before setting it down. “That’ll be three dollars.”

Emile handed him a few singles, sitting down in the same place as yesterday. “You guys aren’t very busy this time of day.”

“Yeah, it’s usually the mornings.” Remy said, wiping down the counter. He needed something to do instead of staring at Emile. “People come in, get their coffee fix, and head to work. Sometimes they stop in on break and occasionally on lunch, but it’s pretty slow after noon.”

“But you guys have the best hot chocolate!”

Emile looked so offended that Remy couldn’t help but laugh. “Why thank you! It’s a recipe I’ve been perfecting for a while now. My little cousin used to hate coffee, so I’d make him hot chocolate.”

“I’m not that much younger than you.” Logan said, making Remy jump. He turned to Emile. “Thank you for the compliment.”

“Oh, it’s no problem at all.” Emile took the last sip of his drink and stood. “Have a nice day!”

“You too!” Logan and Remy called out.

It was silent until Emile was out of sight. Then Logan whispered, “Oh, you’ve got it  _bad_.”

Blood rushed to Remy’s face and he lightly pushed Logan. “Shut up.”

“Did I miss him?” Patton asked as he came out from the kitchen, wiping his hands on his apron.

Shooting a smirk at Remy, Logan nodded. “I’m afraid so.”

“Darn.” The usually sunny man pouted. “I wanted to meet him.”

“Maybe tomorrow, love.” Logan took Patton’s hand, twirling him into a dip. Patton let out a giggle that was quickly swallowed by Logan.

“Get a room!”

“I believe we’re in a room.” Logan mumbled against Patton’s lips as he straightened up.

Patton pulled away first. “Timer’s going off.”

He dashed into the kitchen, leaving a slightly dazed Logan behind.

A twinge hit Remy’s heart as he watched the two interact. His thoughts drifted to Emile, only to be interrupted by a customer.

The days passed and a routine started. Remy would flirt with Emile, only to have him smile and talk to him like an old friend.

And every day he learned something new about the man of his dreams.

He learned that Emile was a big fan of cartoons, specifically Steven Universe-hence the mug. It was a show Remy knew that Patton watched, but he’d never watched it himself.

Now it was on his Hulu list.

He learned that Emile adored all of his patients. He talked about them as if they were extended family. Of course he never gave too much away due to Doctor-Patient confidentiality, but he would be ecstatic when they made progress.

It was the cutest thing Remy had ever seen.

He learned that Emile had a cat when he was younger, but it ran away. When Remy mentioned Chai, he’d had a thousand questions.

He had a big heart.

Before long, Get Roasted had been open a month and business was booming. They had tons of customers each morning, some regulars, some not. Every single one of them adored the small shop.

One Wednesday morning, the only day they were closed, Remy was over at Logan and Patton’s for an informal business meeting. Logan had called the previous night, asking him to be at his apartment for lunch.

Remy walked in, knowing Logan would leave the door unlocked for him, to find Patton in Logan’s lap, kissing him senseless.

“If I would’ve known it was that kind of party I would’ve brought different supplies.”

Patton nearly fell off of Logan’s lap as they scrambled to get apart. Both of their faces were bright red and their lips were swollen.

“My apologies.” Logan cleared his throat. “I didn’t realize what time it was.”

Remy smirked. “Yeah, you had your hands full.”

Logan’s already red face somehow got even redder.

“What did you ask me over here for?” He may like to tease, but Remy knew his cousin’s limits.

Logan grabbed the binder off the coffee table and crossed the room. “These are our sales for the past month.”

“Holy shit.”

“Remy!”

“Sorry.” Remy looked over the numbers. They were much higher than he and Logan had anticipated. “I guess people love a good roast.”

Giggles escaped Patton’s mouth at Remy’s wordplay.

Logan rolled his eyes, but there was a hint of a smile on his face. “I wanted to go over a few ideas Patton and I came up with.”

“Let me hear ‘em.”

Logan started filling Remy in as Patton made each of them a plate. By the end of the hour, Remy’s stomach was full and they had a few new ideas to try out.

“Thanks for coming.” Logan held up his notes. “Open mic night is a fantastic idea.”

“I know a few theater nerds that would love to entertain a crowd.” Grabbing his sunglasses, Remy opened the door. “See you tomorrow!”

Once he was home and Chai was fed, Remy started up Hulu and hit play.

_We are the Crystal Gems…_


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Food mention

One Friday afternoon, Remy was busying himself by reorganizing the pastry case.

Alphabetically.

He’d never been so bored.

As the chimes above the door jingled, he thanked his lucky stars. Sliding the pastry case shut, he turned around to greet the customer.

All the breath was knocked out of his lungs as he saw Emile.

Wearing a skirt.

The blue fabric looked as though it was made of air. It floated as Emile headed to the register, mug in hand.

Remy’s eyes darted to the bracelet so that he wouldn’t be caught staring.

“One hot chocolate?” He asked, not trusting himself to say anything else just yet.

Emile giggled and handed over the mug. “Yes please.”

Remy started on the drink, humming under his breath. He didn’t notice what he’d been humming until he heard Emile gasp.

“Is that Steven Universe?” She whispered, unable to keep the excitement out of her voice.

Blood rushed to Remy’s cheeks as he nodded. “Yeah. You’ve mentioned it a lot, so I figured I should check it out. It’s really good.”

“I’m so glad you like it!” She squealed. Her eyes absolutely lit up as she started to talk. “What episode are you on? I don’t want to spoil anything.”

Remy swirled the whipped cream before handing the drink over. “Episode five was the last one I watched.”

Emile nodded. “Okay, episode five…who’s your favorite character so far?”

“Definitely Amethyst. Her weapon is awesome, and she just doesn’t care what other people think.”

Emile sipped her drink. “Amethyst is amazing.”

“Who’s your favorite?”

She thought for a moment, blowing on her drink. “Hmm…I think Steven.”

Remy smiled. “You remind me of Steven.”

“Thank you!”

Remy propped his chin up on his hand, leaning on the counter. “Actually, you know who you remind me of?”

Emile tilted her head in a silent question.

“Katara.”

A squeal of happiness left Emile’s mouth. She flapped her hands, saying, “I bought this skirt because it reminded me of the water tribe!”

“It’s a beautiful skirt.” Remy turned on his charm. “For a beautiful person.”

Emile smiled, getting up from her seat. “Thank you. Have a nice day!”

“Wait!”

She turned back around.

Remy flushed. “Um, there’s-we’re-tonight is our first open mic night. If you aren’t doing anything…I was hoping you’d come?”

Emile nodded. “That sounds great! I’ll let my afternoon clients know too, I’m sure they’d love to participate!”

With a little wave, she discarded her mug and left. With nothing else to do, Remy went and got the mug, washed it, and returned it to its place.

He headed into the kitchen. Patton was rolling out some dough, with some difficulty with Logan’s arms wrapped around his waist. Logan nuzzled into Patton’s neck, causing the baker to lean into the embrace.

The domestic scene caused another twinge in Remy’s heart. Not wanting to interrupt, he headed back to the front counter, opting to clean it for the fifth time instead.

When his shift ended, he whipped off his apron and darted out of the shop. Tripping over Chai, he quickly fed her before hopping into the shower.

As he toweled off, Chai hopped onto his bed.

“Are you gonna help me pick out a bomb outfit for tonight?” He asked, scritching behind her ears. “It’s the first time I’ll see Emile when I’m not working. I’ve gotta look my best.”

Looking in his closet, Remy’s eyes landed on a simple black tank. Deciding that Emile would probably like him better dressed comfortably, he slipped it on. It was quickly paired with a simple pair of skinny jeans and black ankle boots.

By the time he was completely done, it was just about time to go. He made sure that Chai had her dinner before grabbing his sunglasses and heading out of the house.

He got there at the same time as Logan and Patton.

“You’re here early.” He unlocked the door, a smirk crossing his face. “I don’t suppose a certain someone is coming?”

“Oh, leave him alone.” Patton lightly smacked Logan’s shoulder. “We were the same way.”

“Don’t tell me I’m turning into a useless gay!” Remy cried out, earning a playful glare.

The three of them entered the shop, stopping their conversation to get ready for open mic night.

Patton brought out the final pastries just as it hit six o’clock. The theater troupe entered right on time, chatting easily with the owners.

“Roman!” Remy called out, getting the attention of the blonde.

He strolled over, an easy smile on his face. “I can’t believe you got Logan to let us sing here.”

“I heard that!”

“Love you roomie!” Roman called back. He dropped his voice to a whisper. “I heard you’ve got a special someone coming tonight.”

Remy flushed. “Who told you?”

“Patton.”

Burying his face into his hands, Remy mumbled, “I should never have told them.”

“I’m rooting for ya.” Roman patted him on the shoulder. “I can dedicate something to the two of you if you want.”

“No!” The look on Roman’s face made Remy wince. “I didn’t mean-I just don’t want to scare her off.”

“Can’t wait to meet her.”

Roman headed back to his troupe, leaving Remy waiting near the door.

His heart pounded as time passed and more people filled the cafe.

“Remy!”

He turned and got an armful of Emile. She smiled up at him, making sure to show that her charms hadn’t changed.

“I’m glad you came.”

“Me too!” Emile waved at a few kids in the troupe. “I’ve been to their last four performances, they’re really good!”

Her excitement was contagious. A huge smile flooded Remy’s face. “I saved us some seats.”

“Lead the way.”

Emile followed Remy, giggling when he sat her down in her usual seat at the counter. He held up a finger, disappearing behind the counter for a second.

Her face absolutely lit up when he handed her a hot chocolate made in her favorite mug.

“Remy, you didn’t have to-”

“I wanted to.” He promised, sliding into his seat as the performances started. “On the house.”

“Thank you.”

The two sat in a comfortable silence, watching the performances. The range of songs was all over the place, ranging from Lady Gaga to Johnny Cash.

Two hours later, Roman took the mic.

“First of all, can we get some applause for the gracious employees of this place?” Applause erupted from all corners of the room, putting smiles on their faces. Roman held up a hand and it went silent almost immediately. “Thank all of you for coming. If you want to support this place and have more nights like this, a few cast members will be walking around with tip jars. Donations are completely optional!”

Remy watched in shock as people pulled out fifty dollar bills and stuffed them into the jars.

“I’ll be our closing performer tonight.” Roman shot a wink at Remy. His blood ran cold. “This one goes out to all the lovers out there. If you’re up for it, feel free to dance with your partner.”

_“Wise men say…”_

Roman’s voice created an atmosphere of romance. Remy saw Logan shyly hold out a hand to Patton, pulling him into a gentle sway when he accepted.

A few other couples joined in before the first chorus.

Taking a deep breath and a leap of faith, Remy turned to Emile. “Would you like to dance?”

A gorgeous pink blush spread across Emile’s cheeks. “Um, actually…I can’t dance. The only thing I know about dancing comes from Steven Universe.”

“When the gems fuse?”

Emile nodded, still avoiding eye contact.

Remy pointed over to Logan and Patton. “It’s completely fine if you don’t want to, but all they’re doing is swaying. We could try that.”

“I’d rather just sit and talk.” She admitted, finally looking at Remy. “I like talking with you.”

“I like talking with you too. That’s why I asked you out.”

Emile froze like a deer in headlights. “Wait - did you mean for this to be a date?”

“Um, kinda?” This was going south fast. “If you don’t want it to be a date, it doesn’t have to be a date. It can just be us hanging out.”

“I’m so sorry.” Tears sprang to her eyes. “If I’d known it was a date - I - ”

Remy reached out, stopping just before he touched her. “Is this okay?”

Getting a nod, he pulled her into a hug. “I should’ve made it more clear. And I should’ve made sure that you were okay with it, that’s my fault.”

“I am.”

Remy blinked, pulling back. “What?”

“I am. Okay with it.” That pretty blush was back. “I just…I would’ve acted differently if I’d known.”

He was stunned and the only thing that left his mouth was, “How?”

“Well, for starters…” She grabbed his hand, intertwining their fingers together. “I would’ve told you how handsome you are.”

Remy squeezed her hand, a smile on his face. “So you didn’t notice that I’ve been flirting with you since day one?”

“No.” She laughed, but her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “There’s a lot of things that I don’t pick up on.”

“So, now that you know, if I was to ask you out to dinner tomorrow night?” Remy bit his lip.

The soft look on her face filled him with mixed emotions. “I would, but - I’m going to a movie with a friend. But I could ask if she’d mind if you came along! That way she could bring her girlfriend!”

“I don’t want to intrude.”

Emile stopped texting. “We could go out Saturday night then?”

Remy smiled, placing a kiss on her knuckles. “Sounds like a date.”

“A real date.” Emile hesitated for a second before pecking Remy on the cheek. “See you Saturday!”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Anxiety, food mention, first date jitters

The next morning, Remy breezed through his morning routine. With twenty minutes left before he had to be at the shop for his shift, he decided to head in early to see if Patton needed any help with the pastries.

When he got there, he found Patton on the phone.

“Can you repeat that? Slower?”

Remy couldn’t hear the words on the other end of the line, but he could tell that they were freaking out.

“Oh, V! If you wanna come stay with me and Lo - no, you wouldn’t be bothering us at all, I promise!”

“I have a spare room.” Remy offered, putting his apron on. “Whoever you’re talking to can stay with me.”

Patton’s eyes lit up. “Really? Oh that’s great! V, I have a friend who has an extra room. He’s offering to let you stay…No, I didn’t. He just offered…yeah…he’s Logan’s cousin…okay! I’ll let him know. Talk to you soon!”

After hanging up, Patton threw his arms around Remy, covering his apron in flour. “Thank you so much!”

“Do I get to know who I’m housing?” Remy asked, a teasing smile on his face.

“His name is Virgil! He and I were best friends in high school.” Patton’s peppiness disappeared as he talked. “We went to colleges on opposite sides of the country. I should’ve made a better effort to keep in touch, but we stopped talking. He called me in a panic this morning - I think on instinct. His boss just fired him from his job and his landlord is evicting him.”

“Poor guy.”

Patton nodded, pushing a recipe over to Remy and moving about the kitchen. “I’m glad he’s moving in with you, even if it’s only until he’s back on his feet. I miss him.”

“He’s welcome to stay as long as he needs.” Remy started shaping some dough. “You and Logan were there for me.”

“I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

Remy smiled, seeing nothing but sincerity in Patton’s eyes. “You know, I can’t wait to be your cousin-in-law.”

Patton giggled. “I can’t wait either.”

“For what?” Logan asked as he entered the kitchen. His eyebrows drew together as his eyes landed on Remy. “What are you doing here so early?”

“I just thought I’d come help -” His excuse died as Logan fixed him with a look. “I’m too excited for my date tonight and finished everything I needed to this morning.”

“Awwwww!” Patton squealed. “Now I see the family resemblance.”

“Patton!”

Seeing the redness in his cousin’s cheeks, Remy simply raised an eyebrow. Patton was quick to explain. “Logan was so excited for our first date that he got to the restaurant an hour early.”

Logan buried his face in his hands to prevent them from seeing just how red his face was. Sensing his distress, Patton pressed a kiss to the top of his head. When he looked up, he saw Remy staring at them with longing.

Flipping down his sunglasses, Remy headed back out to the cafe to start the machines.

Remy found himself staring at the clock whenever he had a moment.

And he had a lot of moments.

The cafe was unusually slow that Saturday. With the number of times Remy had wiped it down, he was surprised there wasn’t a hole in it.

Just as he reached the last hour of his shift, the bell over the door went off and a steady stream of people flowed in. Roman lead the pack, stage makeup still on his face. He waved at Remy before heading over to choose his mug.

Being able to insult most of the customers during the last part of his shift was a blessing. Most of his nerves about his date had vanished by the time Logan announced that they were closing.

The last of the customers filed out, with Roman hanging back.

“Roman, we’re closed.”

“I know, Specs.” Roman grinned as Logan rolled his eyes at the nickname. His face took on a seriousness that Remy had rarely seen. “Thank you. For last night. We had sold maybe half of our tickets before then, but we were officially sold out an hour before the show this morning.”

Logan adjusted his glasses. “Your talents will likely increase our business. I am happy that it is beneficial for the theater as well.”

Roman waved before heading out of the store.

Remy cleaned up at lightning speed, leaving as soon as Logan told him he was free to go. He raced to his apartment, opting to dress up a little more for this date. After giving Chai the attention she deserved, he ducked into his closet.

“No…no…no…n- actually.” He held up the black blazer. “This could work.”

_Bzzt._

Grabbing his phone, Remy grinned when he saw who the text was from.

**_Em: We’re going to grab dinner before if you wanna join us! We’re heading to Marco’s. Hope you like pizza!_ **

**_Remy: Gurl, you know I love it. What time?_ **

**_Em: Five! See you soon :D_ **

Glancing at the clock, Remy groaned when he realized it was only three-thirty. He hung the blazer back up in his closet, opting to get dressed later. As much as he loved his baby, he didn’t want to be covered in cat hair when he left.

Over the next thirty minutes, Remy managed to wear Chai out. She curled up in a ball next to him as he watched a quick episode of Steven Universe.

By four thirty he was hopping in an Uber and heading over to Marco’s pizzeria.

He spotted Emile with two girls through the window. When he walked in, Emile flashed him a smile that made him weak in the knees.

“Girls, this is Remy!”

“So  _you’re_  the cute barista.” The brunette said, leaning on her elbows. “Emmy here has told us some good things about you.”

Remy gently touched Emile’s wrist, turning it to see the charms for the day. “Oh, have they now?”

The blonde nodded, practically bouncing in her seat. “Mhmm! They said you were super nice.”

“Guys!” A beautiful blush spread across Emile’s cheeks. They shook their head before gesturing to the brunette. “This is Valerie, and her girlfriend, Iona.”

“You can call me Io.” Leaning over, she placed a kiss on Valerie’s cheek. “What kinda pizza do you want?”

Valerie moved so that they could share a menu, giving Remy a pointed look. He quickly followed her lead, leaning closer to Emile. “What kind of toppings do you like?”

“Oh, I don’t like a lot of toppings.” They said, trailing a finger down the menu. “Oh, I  _love_  margherita pizza!”

“Margherita pizza it is.” Remy flipped the menu closed and put it away. He moved to hold their hand, but hesitated. Was that okay?

Emile noticed, biting their lip before gently taking Remy’s hand. He gave it a squeeze, trying to ease any worries or doubts they may have had - and also some of his own.

“I like that blazer on you. It makes you look handsome.”

Blood rushed to Remy’s cheeks. He heard the girls giggle and mumble something about ‘cuties’. “That’s - thank you. You, um, you look pret-lovely! You look lovely.”

“You can say pretty, I don’t mind.” Emile teased, looking up when the waiter came over.

They placed their orders immediately. As the waiter walked away, Valerie focused her attention on Remy.

“So, where do you work?”

“Oh, I work over at Get Roasted. That’s where Emile and I met, actually.” He linked their fingers together as he talked. “From the first moment I saw them, I thought they were beautiful. If only they’d noticed I was flirting sooner.”

Emile flushed. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, darling.” Emile appeared to melt at the nickname. Remy made a mental note before raising their joined hands and kissing their knuckles. “All that matters is that we’re together now.”

“Awwww!”

Io’s outburst had them all laughing. The four of them continued to chat about various things before their pizza came. They dug in, finishing the pies quickly.

“Your checks.” The waiter put them on the table.

Remy snatched them both before anyone moved.

“Remy -”

“I’ve got this.” He got out of his chair. “You get the popcorn. Deal?”

As Remy walked to the counter, Valerie turned to Emile. “He’s such a keeper.”

“You think so?” They asked, watching Remy swipe a card.

“He paid for both of our meals. You said he was an absolute gentleman at open mic night - even when you said you didn’t realize it was a date. What’s holding you back from such a man?”

Giggling at the Disney reference, Emile shrugged. “I just…I’m worried that he’s not how he seems, you know?”

“He’s the whole package, Em.” Io chimed in. “Handsome, sweet, generous. If you don’t snatch him up, someone else will.”

Emile watched Remy joke with the cashier. Their heart swelled as they looked on. “Yeah. You’re absolutely right.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: kissing

Remy rejoined the group, a little suspicious of the giggling girls and a blushing Emile. Choosing not to ask, he simply offered Emile his arm. “Shall we?”

Emile took his arm with a smile. That same smile that turned Remy’s insides to absolute mush.

_If this is how Patton makes Logan feel, no wonder he’s such a disaster gay._

The theater was just down the street from the pizzeria. It took them no time at all to get there. Once they’d arrived, Valerie and Io insisted on getting the popcorn and snacks. With left Remy and Emile to grab seats for the four of them.

Since they were so early, the entire theater was empty, giving them plenty of options.

Waving a hand, Remy said, “Up to you.”

Emile chose seats in the middle. They put their jacket on one, Remy draping his blazer over the other.

An awkward silence followed as they sat down. The previews hadn’t started yet, leaving them in almost complete darkness.

Conversation starters blazed through Remy’s mind, all of them being shot down for being to generic. After a brief moment of thought, an idea came to him. He put his hand on the armrest, leaning over to whisper, “Wanna know a secret?”

“A secret?” Emile tilted their head, looking like a confused puppy.

Remy tugged the armrest up. It slid into place between their chairs, turning their two seats into one. Emile let out a gasp, immediately trying it with the next chair. “That’s so cool!”

Remy slid a little closer. “So, would you prefer having it up or down?”

“Hmm…definitely up.” In one smooth move, Emile grabbed Remy’s hand and slid under his arm. “Is this okay?”

“Yeah - yeah! It’s perfectly fine.” Feeling his face heat up, Remy was glad that the room was still rather dark.

Emile moved Remy’s arm to wrap around their waist, moving their hand over his and linking their fingers. “And this?”

An undignified squeak came out of his mouth. “It’s - it’s, um, fine.”

Emile turned towards him, pressing their noses together. Moving in sync, they started to close the gap.

Only to jump back when ads began to roll, dimly lighting the room. Not even a moment later, Valerie and Io walked in. Io was holding a huge bucket of popcorn and Valerie’s arms were filled with various bags of candy.

“Dibs on the Fun Dip!” Emile called.

Valerie dumped half of the treats on Emile’s lap. Her eyes trailed down Remy’s arm wrapped around them. “I see you figured out the armrest trick.”

“Bold of you to assume I didn’t already know that trick.” Remy shot back with a grin.

Valerie held her hands up in surrender, getting a giggle out of both Io and Emile. “Fair enough.”

The girls sat down, flipping up their own armrest. Valerie gave Io a quick kiss on the cheek before wrapping the smaller girl in her arms, cuddling her close.

Subconsciously, Remy tightened his grip on Emile. They let out a contented sigh, leaning against him.

Halfway through the movie, Emile migrated into his lap. Remy wrapped his arms around their waist. As soon as he did, he realized he had a problem.

He didn’t want to  _ever_  let go.

As the movie wrapped up, Emile leaned back, tilting their head. Remy looked down, heart pounding as he realized that their lips were only separated by an inch.

His eyes started to slide shut…

…and the lights snapped on, nearly blinding him in the process. Emile practically launched themselves off his lap and back into their seat.

Valerie caught the movement, shooting the two of them a teasing grin.

Before she could say a word, Io pressed their lips together, hopefully driving anything she had to say out of her mind.

Remy had never been more thankful for the smaller girl. He stood, stretching his arms above his head. His eyes slid to his date, who was staring at where his shirt had ridden up.

“See something you like?”

That familiar pretty pink blush flooded Emile’s cheeks as their eyes snapped back to his face. “Hmm?”

The innocent act wasn’t something that Remy was used to, but apparently it was something that got his blood flowing.

Emile got to their feet, grabbing Remy’s hand and intertwining their fingers. They turned to the girls, who’d finally separated. “I’m gonna make sure Remy gets home alright.”

Io nodded, flashing them a smile. “Text us when you get home so we know you’re safe.”

“Even if it’s not until the morning.” Valerie said, getting a playful swat from her girlfriend.

The two standing turned bright red at the comment. Emile managed to stammer out a goodbye before dragging Remy out of the theater. Remy pulled out his phone, managing to snag an Uber.

“Sorry about her.”

Remy looked up from the screen. “Don’t be. Your friends are great!”

Emile shot him a smile. “I’m glad you like them. Maybe we can go on a triple date soon? If you wanted to invite your cousin and his boyfriend.”

“I could, but they’d just make-out the whole movie. Those two have no shame.” Laughter bubbled from Emile’s mouth, causing a fluttery sensation in Remy’s stomach.

On the ride back to Remy’s place, he noticed Emile fidgeting. They were constantly biting their lip, as well as rubbing their thumb in circles over the back of Remy’s hand.

Emile walked him all the way to his door.

“So…” They bit their lip again, something that was driving Remy crazy. He wanted nothing more than to bite it for them. “Are we…like, a couple now? If you don’t want to be, that’s fine, I just wanted to know.”

Taking his chance, Remy stepped forward. Emile backed into the wall, their breathing hitching when Remy leaned an arm against the wall. “I, for one, would love to call you my partner.”

“Me too.” The reply was breathless as Remy pressed his body against theirs, moving slowly to let Emile say no if they wanted.

A no is the exact opposite of what he received. Emile wrapped an arm around his neck, tugging him down.

Their lips finally met and sparks flew. The world narrowed, becoming just the two of them.

It was completely and utterly perfect.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Kissing, allusions to nsfw, swearing, mention of a controlling boyfriend

A gentle kiss had Remy’s eyes fluttering open the next morning. The gorgeous face of his partner filled his vision, making him smile. “Good morning.”

“A good morning indeed.” Emile slid onto his lap. The pink shirt they’d borrowed from Remy hung a bit loose, showing off their collarbone. “Thanks for letting me sleep over. Even if we didn’t…you know.”

_The second Remy unlocked the door, their lips were back together. They stumbled over a few cat toys, making their way to the bedroom._

_Emile backed through the doorway, moving until they hit the bed._

_And then they froze._

_Remy stopped immediately, pulling back. “Em?”_

_“I’m sorry.” Tears filled their eyes. “I - I can’t, I don’t want to -”_

_“Em, we don’t have to do anything.”_

_“But -”_

_“If you’re not comfortable, we’ll wait.”_

“Hey, it’s okay. We don’t have to do anything until you’re ready, alright?” Remy eyed the bracelet, noticing there weren’t any charms. “Babe? What kind of day is it for you?”

There was a flicker of desire in Emile’s eyes, which was quickly accompanied by a blush. “He/him today.”

Time to test a theory. “Good to know, babe.”

The blush deepened, letting Remy know that he was absolutely correct.

Emile had a thing for pet names.

“You’re adorable when you blush.” Remy said as he sat up, hands moving to Emile’s hips. He was ready to let go at a moment’s notice. When there was no protesting, he leaned forward. “May I kiss you?”

Emile nodded, closing the gap.

While their first kiss had been short and sweet, this one held a touch of passion. It had Remy whining as Emile pulled away.

“We’re together now, there’s plenty of time for kissing.” Emile mumbled, pressing their lips together one more time. Before Remy could deepen it, Emile climbed off his lap and pointed at the clock. “Besides, don’t you have to work today?”

“SHIT!”

Scrambling out of bed, Remy grabbed some clothes. He hovered in the doorway of the bathroom. “I’ll be quick.”

“Rem, it’s okay.” Emile slid out of bed. “I was going to find your cat! She’s so cute.”

Without another word, Emile left the bedroom. A second later, Remy could hear him making cooing noises. He trusted Chai to keep Emile busy and hopped in the shower.

After halfway styling his hair, he opened the door. Emile was sitting on his bed, gently petting Chai.

“Babe?” He held back a smirk as Emile flushed.

“Yeah?”

“If you wanna borrow some clothes, my closet is at your disposal.” Remy moved around the bed, leaning over to whisper in Emile’s ear. “And you look hot as hell wearing my stuff, if this shirt is any indication.”

He pressed a few kisses down Emile’s jaw before pulling away. His partner looked adorably flustered.

The haze cleared from Emile’s eyes rather quickly. “Did you have an outfit in mind?”

A few…choice images flashed through Remy’s mind. He could feel his cheeks burning. “Um…why don’t you pick?”

“Okay!”

Emile slid off the bed. He opened the closet door, running a hand along the shirts. He pulled out a gold and black striped button up and paired it with some ripped skinny jeans. Remy saw him hesitate.

“What are you thinking?”

Emile’s eyes darted to the jackets. “Nothing.”

An image of Emile in his leather jacket flickered in Remy’s mind. He reached over and grabbed the article of clothing, holding it out. “Try it on at least?”

“If I change here are you just going to stare at me?” Emile questioned, a teasing grin on his face.

Remy looked him up and down. “Maybe.”

Shaking his head, Emile headed into the bathroom. Chai curled up on the bed, laying on Emile’s clothes from the previous day.

“You like him too, huh?” Sitting on the bed, Remy bopped her nose. She responded by biting his fingers. “He’s definitely a keeper.”

“I’m not a seeker anymore, that’s for sure.”

As he looked up, Remy’s breath caught in his throat. “Wow.”

“I kinda like it.” Emile spun in a circle. “I look edgy.”

Once his brain had rebooted, Remy glanced at the clock. “I gotta head to work, but Logan won’t care if you come with me.”

“Are you sure?” Emile bit his lip. “I don’t want to impose.”

“He’s made out with Patton there more times than I’d like to know. I promise, it’ll be fine.” Sliding to his feet, Remy headed to the kitchen. He heard two sets of footsteps following him.

He let Emile think about it as he fed Chai.

“You’re sure Logan’s okay with it?”

“He will be.” Remy offered his hand. Once Emile took it, he laced their fingers together. Lifting their joined hands, he pressed a kiss against Emile’s knuckles.

“You - you’re gonna be late.”

“A queen is never late. Everyone else is simply early.” Remy quoted as he opened the door. Emile’s laughter echoed in the hall as they headed out of the building.

They walked in just on time. Logan came out of the kitchen, his eyes landing on Emile before sliding to Remy. He grinned at his cousin. “Congratulations.”

“I’d say the same, if there was something to congratulate.”

Logan’s face turned red. “There might be something…soon.”

“Atta boy.”

The two worked through their usual morning routine. Emile asked a few questions, sitting in his usual spot. Remy answered them with ease, proving that he actually did know what he was doing behind the counter.

Once they opened, the morning disappeared in a snap. Emile was content to sip on his hot chocolate and watch Remy work. Every once in a while Patton would bring out ‘samples’ and let Emile try them out.

As they neared the slow hour, Remy heard a customer gasp.

“Dr. Picani?”

Emile turned, seeing one of his patients. He flashed them a smile. “Hello, Elliot. Do you how do?”

“I’m good. It’s weird seeing you outside of the office. And not in your usual clothes.”

“Oh, these are my boyfriend’s. He’s letting me try them out.” Emile waved in Remy’s direction.

Remy’s eyes landed on Elliot’s necklace, seeing ‘they/them’ engraved in the dog tag. “Have you been here before?”

“Once, when you opened.” Their shoulders began to droop. “But, um, my boyfriend at the time didn’t really like this place. And he didn’t like me coming here, so I stopped.”

“Sounds like a shitty boyfriend.”

Emile didn’t say anything, but it was clear that he agreed.

“Yeah, he was. We broke up a month ago.”

The poor kid looked devastated. Remy cleared his throat. “The best cure for a breakup is always chocolate. And according to the good doctor here, we serve the best hot chocolate in the world.”

“One hot chocolate then. Let me grab a mug.”

As soon as Elliot was out of earshot, Emile whispered, “Thank you. They’ve seemed down ever since they broke up.”

“I know how bad heartbreak can be.” Remy started on the drink, nearly missing Emile’s next words.

“Good thing you won’t have to deal with that ever again.”

Emotions buzzed under Remy’s skin. He finished the drink, cashed out Elliot, and then leaned over the counter to plant a kiss on his partner.

“Remy!”

“Oh, so you get to kiss Patton on the clock?”

There was a beat of silence.

“Just…keep it to a minimum please.”

After Logan vanished back into the kitchen, Emile tapped Remy’s hand. “What was that for?”

“I -” It’s too early for that, Remy. “I’m glad we’re together.”

A sunny smile crossed Emile’s face.

“So am I.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Kissing, allusions to nsfw, food mention

The rest of the month seemed to whip by. Before Remy could blink, he was sitting on the curb in front of his apartment with his friends, waiting to meet his new roommate.

“Oh, I can’t wait to meet him!” Emile bounced on her toes, silver fabric of her dress bouncing with her. “What’s he like, Patton?”

The bubbly man lit up at the opportunity to talk about his friend. “Virgil is great! He’s a little sarcastic and it takes him a bit to open up to people. But once you’re his friend, he’ll do anything for you.”

A moving van pulled up, cutting off all conversation.

The man who stepped out was not someone Remy could’ve pictured Patton being friends with. His purple hair was shaved on the sides and left long on the top, barely reaching to the top of his eyebrows. The hoodie he was wearing looked handmade. Patches were expertly sewn on, giving it a bit of a ragtag look. Yet somehow it fit with his skinny jeans and combat boots.

“Virgil!”

Virgil barely managed to stabilize himself before he had an armful of Patton. The two of them giggled as they nearly fell over.

Logan’s fond sigh was expected.

Roman’s was not.

Turning, Remy saw the heart eyes directed at Virgil. He grinned, having a feeling it would be all too easy to get the two of them together.

That feeling grew as Virgil locked eyes with Roman and blushed.

It took them the rest of the afternoon to get Virgil moved into the spare bedroom. Since there were quite a few of them, Virgil had been told not to worry about hiring movers. He apologized multiple times as they hauled his furniture upstairs, but was reassured at every turn.

As Roman walked in with a nightstand, Remy pulled out his laptop. “Who’s down for pizza?”

“Me!” Patton and Emile shouted in unison.

Logan rolled up the sleeves on his button down and ran a hand through his hair. “I suppose we do need sustenance.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Remy could see Virgil hovering. “V, what kind of pizza do you like?”

“I don’t care as long as there’s no pineapple.”

A loud gasp grabbed everybody’s attention. Roman threw a hand over his chest. “You don’t like pineapple on pizza? You wound me.”

“Does he always talk like that?” Virgil asked, turning to Patton.

Logan nodded. “Ever since he played the Prince in our college production of Into the Woods.”

“Alright, so a medium pizza with just pineapple for the wounded prince, a large pepperoni, and a large sausage?” Remy asked, double checking the order.

Patton let out a giggle and whispered something to Logan, making his face turn three shades of red.

Knowing if he asked it would be something about Logan’s…sausage, Remy continued with the order. The tracker started blinking. “Alright, it should be here within half an hour.”

Grabbing Logan’s hand, Patton pulled him over to one of the armchairs. As the two of them got comfortable, Roman took the other end of the couch, leaving the other chair open for Virgil.

“I think we should get to know our new friend.” Roman leaned back. “How do you feel about truth or dare?”

“Must we play such a childish game?” Logan shifted, wrapping his arms around Patton’s waist. “Can’t we just ask Virgil questions about his life?”

“Yeah, that sounds way better than your suggestion, Princey.”

“Princey?”

“It suits you.” Virgil smirked.

The five of them started asking questions. Virgil told them about his first pet (a lizard named Gizzard), where he went to college (Florida State), and plenty of other personal tidbits.

“Who was your first kiss?” Roman asked. Remy wouldn’t have been surprised if he batted his eyelashes as he did.

Virgil turned fire engine red. “Um…it was…mmhp.”

“What was that?” Logan leaned forward, resting his chin on Patton’s shoulder.

“It was, um. It was Patton.”

“What?!”

Roman’s outburst made Virgil jump and blush harder. The poor guy was nearing purple at this point.

“He was worried about kissing someone that would turn out to be a jerk.” Patton explained, intertwining his fingers with Logan’s. “So I offered.”

“Do you still like our Pattycake?”

“Roman, that’s not an appropriate question.” Logan snapped, before turning to Virgil. “I feel as though I must reassure you. Anything that happened between you and Patton happened long before we met. I hold no hostility towards you. Patton  _is_ an excellent kisser.”

“Aww, Lo!” Twisting around, Patton straddled his boyfriend and started kissing him.

Remy could see Virgil watching, looking somewhere between confused and weirded out. “Yeah, that’s something you’ll have to get used to. When it comes to each other, they kind of forget there’s other people in the room.”

“Patton and Logan, sitting in a tree…” Roman sang.

The couple broke apart just as there was a knock on the door. Roman got up and headed to the door. Virgil moved, taking the vacant spot on the couch.

“I never got to thank you for letting me stay here.”

Remy waved a hand in the air. “Don’t worry about it. And don’t worry about paying rent until you find a job.”

“Remy, I can’t -”

“Gurl, I’ve been paying for this alone anyway. A few more weeks, months, whatever - it’s not gonna put a dent in my piggy bank.”

Emile pressed a kiss to his cheek. “You’re so generous.”

“Have you ever worked as a barista? I’m sure Logan could afford to pay another person.” Roman set the pizza down on the coffee table next to some paper plates and grabbed his box. “Lord knows they have the business for it.”

“I don’t know if I could handle something like that.” Virgil grabbed a slice. “People can be really rude when it comes to food service.”

The rest of them exchanged amused looks.

Logan cleared his throat. “Virgil, how would you like a job where you’re allowed to talk back to the customers?”

“That doesn’t exist.”

“Did Patton not tell you about our business?”

Wiping sauce off his chin, Virgil shook his head. “No, he just said you own a coffee shop.”

Leaving Logan to explain the ins and outs of what they did, Remy grabbed some pizza for himself and Emile. Holding it out, he fed her a few bites before eating it himself.

“Hey!” She protested, trying to grab it back. “That’s my piece.”

“It’s mine now.”

Shaking her head at his antics, Emile leaned in. She put a hand on his cheek and kissed him deeply, making his head swim.

Before promptly stealing his pizza.

“Em!”

She giggled, taking a large bite. “Hmm?”

“What were you saying earlier about us tuning others out?” Logan asked, a twinkling glint in his eye.

Remy raised an eyebrow. “I’ve walked in on you and Patton having -”

“Okay, okay!”

“That’s what I thought.” Remy said with a laugh.

Cheeks burning, Logan turned back to Virgil. “As I was saying, if you’d like a job there, it’s yours.”

“Can I come in and see what it’s like first? Before I decide?” Virgil bit his nail, stopping when Patton gave him a stern look.

Logan nodded. “Of course. Just let me know and you can shadow Remy for a day.”

“How about Monday?” Virgil set his empty plate down next to the nearly empty pizza box. “That way I can settle in.”

“Monday is perfect.”

After finishing off the pizza, Logan, Patton, and Roman all headed out. Roman took the rest of his box, shooting a mock glare at Virgil - who responded by sticking out his tongue.

“V, do you mind if Emile stays over?” Remy asked as he broke down the pizza boxes.

Virgil shook his head. “As long as you guys aren’t loud.”

“Oh, we’re not - we haven’t, um…” Blood rushed to his face as he struggled to get the words out. “We’re just sleeping. I swear.”

Virgil filled up a cup with water, gave Remy a nod, and disappeared into his bedroom.

Emile walked out of Remy’s bedroom, her duck slippers quacking with every step. She rubbed her eyes, blindly reaching for Remy.

Scooping her up in his arms, he carried her off to bed.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Food mention, hardcore flirting, innuendo

Remy saw Virgil a total of twice before Monday morning.

The first was when he came in at 2 in the morning to find his new roommate sitting on the counter eating a bowl of cereal.

The second was just before he left on Sunday. He’d been running late and had rushed into the kitchen to find Virgil feeding Chai. The little rascal had rubbed up against his leg and purred as loud as she could.

As soon as his alarm went off on Monday, Remy groaned. Yeah, he loved his job, but some days you just wanted more than a day off.

“I guess that’s what I’m training Virgil for.” He mumbled to himself as he left his bedroom.

“What?”

A girlish shriek rang out through the apartment. Remy glared at his roommate, who was chuckling from the shadows. “You! How do you do that?”

“I’m just quiet, Rem. Maybe you should try it sometime.” Virgil joked as he stepped into the light. Dark eyeshadow was spread expertly beneath his eyes, somehow making the backwards application stylish. “Did you want me to feed Chai again?”

“If you would, apparently she likes you more than her own father.” Remy barely heard Virgil’s soft laugh as he stepped into the bathroom.

After speeding through his morning routine, Remy threw on a pink bomber and grabbed his keys. “Ready to learn, young padawan?”

Virgil gave him an unimpressed look before heading out the door.

The two walked in silence on the way to the shop, appreciating the quiet of early morning. The sun’s rays were slowly lighting up the sky and a gentle breeze blew through the city.

The complete opposite of the chaos they’d be facing in the next hour.

As soon as they entered the shop, Patton darted out from the kitchen. He wrapped Virgil in a hug. “I hope you decide to work here! If it’s slow, you can help me with pastries while Logan does paperwork and then we can catch up!”

“We’ll see how it goes.” Virgil smiled. “But I need to be trained first.”

“Right!” Patton released his hold and took a few steps back. “Have fun!”

Virgil shook his head as Patton headed back to the kitchen. “He really hasn’t changed since high school.”

“Come on, let me show you how everything works.”

It wasn’t a surprise when Virgil picked up on everything rather quickly. It’s not as though the machines were hard to use. The drinks took longer than usual because Remy insisted on perfection.

“Don’t be afraid to mix things up a little.” Remy said as he worked on a new recipe he’d been trying. “Sometimes the new things I make suck. We just throw them away and never speak of them again.”

Virgil bit his lip, staring at the different syrups. Remy recognized the look on his face and grinned. “Go wild.”

Moving slowly, Virgil started on a drink. Remy watched as he put a few different syrups together and stirred it vigorously to make sure they were blended fully. When he was done he held it out. “You try.”

“Nu-uh, creator always tries it first.” He pushed the drink back towards Virgil. “That’s how I’ve gotten out of trying some of Logan’s worse creations.”

“Hey!”

“Logan, I say this with all the love in the world, but you are not good at making new drinks!”

There was a beat of silence before Remy heard whispering coming from the kitchen. He rolled his eyes. “Unless you want to watch those two make out, stay out of the kitchen when Logan’s upset.”

“Noted.” Virgil sipped his drink, his eyes lighting up as the flavor hit. “I didn’t think that would work honestly.”

“Alright gurl, hand it over.” Grabbing the cup, Remy took a long drink. The butterscotch flavor burst on his tongue, so sweet it almost made him choke. He started coughing, handing the drink back. “That’s a good one for our sweet tooths.”

“I’m guessing you prefer a more bitter taste?” Virgil grabbed a pen out of the cup and starting writing down the recipe on some spare receipt paper.

“Bitter coffee, sweet kisses.” Remy headed to the register as Logan emerged from the kitchen to unlock the door. “Look alive, kid.”

Virgil rolled his eyes, stuffing the recipe in his back pocket. “I’m only a few years younger than you.”

“Shut up, you’re like twelve.” The nasally tone in Remy’s voice made Virgil burst out laughing, just as their first customer came up.

“What?” Remy asked, noting the black mug in his hands.

“Can I get a PSL?” She asked, a grin on her face.

A heavy sigh left Remy’s mouth as he punched in her order. “Basic white girl - fall edition, coming right up.”

Midway through the morning, Remy let Virgil take a few orders. He grinned as Virgil upped the sass, offending an older woman enough that she left the shop.

The kid was a natural.

As the morning quieted down, Remy clapped Virgil on the shoulder. “What do you think of the job?”

“I think it’s perfect.” Virgil’s eyes twinkled as he finished up a drink and handed it out. “Did you see that lady’s face?”

Remy leaned his hip against the counter. “You’re really good at this, Virgil. We’d all love to have you here.”

“That depends on if he gets my drink right.”

The two baristas turned to find Roman in front of the register. Virgil raised an eyebrow. “And what would that be, Princey? Wait, let me guess. Something with six different syrups that would take any lesser person over ten minutes to make?”

“I’ll take a Chai Latte. Add salted caramel,  _french_ vanilla, and praline syrup. Oh, and a generous swirl of whipped cream on top.” Roman rattled off, watching Virgil enter his order. “Hmm…and one of those delicious cinnamon rolls.”

“Wow, not nearly as complicated as I thought. Are you sure you don’t want to add a few more syrups? Do you want me to make sure it’s not too hot? Wouldn’t want to burn your pretty mouth.” Virgil quipped, starting on the drink.

“Actually, that sounds great.” Roman leaned against the counter. “After all, my pretty mouth needs to be ready for its…multiple uses.”

Remy, who’d been watching the two like a tennis match, smirked as Virgil turned red. He knew exactly what was running through his mind.

Without another word, Virgil finished the drink and handed it over. Roman took it, making sure to graze their fingertips together. He took a sip, not breaking eye contact with Virgil. “Mmmm, that’s really good.”

The bell on the door chimed as Emile walked in. Remy pulled on Virgil’s apron, untying the back. “We’re good for the day, you can go.”

“There’s always room for more.” Roman purred before he picked up his drink and headed to a couple’s table.

Virgil blushed even harder, opting to dart into the kitchen instead. Remy saw Roman track the movement with his eyes and smirk.

“What was that about?” Emile asked as he handed Remy his usual mug.

Remy started on a hot chocolate. “Roman obviously likes Virgil. I think Virgil likes him back, but the poor guy hasn’t had much experience so he doesn’t really know what to do. Hopefully Patton can talk some sense into him.”

“Rem? Can you come in here a second?”

Virgil walked out from the kitchen, pointedly ignoring the ogling from the corner table. Patton was right on his heels, a pleading look on his face.

“Sure. Virgil, can you finish off Emile’s hot chocolate? It just needs whipped cream.”

When Remy reached Patton, the baker whispered, “Virgil said something about being too gay to work here?”

“Roman was flirting with him and laying it on a bit thick if I do say so myself.” Remy watched as Roman headed back to the counter and batted his eyelashes at Virgil.

The next few seconds seemed to go by in slow motion. Remy had no clue what Roman had said, but it startled Virgil enough that he dropped the mug in his hands. It fell to the floor and shattered into a million pieces, sending hot chocolate everywhere.

Emile let out a gasp, hands flying to his mouth. “Oh, goodness! Are you alright? Can I help?”

“Virge -”

Virgil darted out of the shop. Patton took off after him, brushing past a shocked Roman.

Grabbing a broom, Remy handed it out. “You helped cause the mess, you get to help clean it up, Ro.”

“That’s fair.”

The two got to work cleaning up. The floor was spotless by the time Patton came back with Virgil, who looked like he’d been crying. He went straight to Emile.

“Um, Remy told me that was your favorite mug. I’m so sorry that I broke it, I can try to find another one or -”

“Oh, Virgil, no.” Emile moved to hug him, but stopped himself. Instead he held his arms out. Virgil slipped into them easily. “I’m not mad at all. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

Remy watched the scene unfold with a smile. Emile always seemed to know exactly what to say.

“Rem also said you’re a therapist?” Virgil asked, continuing when Emile nodded. “Do you think you could take another client?”

Emile moved his hands to Virgil’s shoulders. “I think you’d be better off with a co-worker of mine. I’m worried that since we’re friends it’ll be hard to separate work life and personal life. But my co-worker Jamahl was looking for some new clients. He does music therapy.”

“That sounds great. Can you give me his information?”

The two continued chatting, Virgil’s smile returning as they did.

Roman nudged Remy. “I didn’t mean for the mug to break.”

“It’s fine. I’ve got it covered.” Remy turned, poking Roman in the chest. “But you need to tone it down. Virgil isn’t like your usual type. Come on too strong and you might scare him away.”

“Got it.” Roman stretched his arms above his head, his lips twitching as he caught Virgil staring. “I gotta go plan the next open mic with Logan. See ya.”

“Em?” Remy asked, seeing that Virgil was heading out the door. Emile turned and gave him a questioning look. “You want another hot chocolate?”

“Yes please!”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Allusions to sex, lot of innuendo, kissing, making out, flirting, self deprecation

“Virgil? You home?”

Remy walked into the apartment, seeing a blob of blankets on the couch. After setting down his stuff, he walked into the living room. Chai was curled up on Virgil’s chest, purring loudly.

Virgil looked over. His eyes were bloodshot and his face was damp. “I’m sorry.”

“Hey, hey,” Remy darted over, kneeling on the floor. He started to pet Chai, allowing the cat to melt into Virgil. “It’s not your fault. That could’ve happened to anyone.”

“If I didn’t have anxiety -”

“Virgil.” Remy cut him off. “I’ve been friends with Patton long enough to know that he’d try to fight you if he heard you talking bad about yourself. Roman came on too strong. I talked to him and he promised that he wouldn’t do it again. Thought it was something along the lines of ‘not unless he tells me to’.”

A deep blush covered Virgil’s cheeks. He tried to burrow into the blanket, but it was too late.

“Ohh, so you do like him?”

“Shut up!”

Remy gave him a soft smile, sitting on the coffee table. “I’m making it my mission to get the two of you together.”

“Remy, I don’t need -”

“What?” Remy raised an eyebrow. “A chivalrous boyfriend that would move the moon for you? Because that’s the real Roman.”

Virgil carefully sat up, moving Chai into his lap. “…it is?”

“How much do you like him?” Leaning forward, Remy rested his chin on his hand.

“It doesn’t matter because I hardly know him!” The blankets fell from Virgil’s shoulders as he gestured wildly. “And I doubt he’d like me anyway.”

“Gurl, he’s had his eyes on you since the moment he saw you.” Grabbing the remote, Remy turned on Netflix. “It’s been a while since I saw heart eyes like that from him.”

Chai crawled across the couch, settling into Remy’s lap. He grinned as he heard Virgil shuffling next to him.

“I don’t fall in love with the first guy I see.”

With a smirk on his face, Remy turned to his roommate. “Who said anything about falling in love?”

Blood rushed to Virgil’s cheeks again. He sputtered for a moment before getting up and heading to his room.

Remy nuzzled his nose into Chai’s fur. “We’ll get them together soon. But I might want to stay over at Em’s when they finally get together. Their chemistry is explosive.”

By the time the end of the month rolled around, Virgil was a pro at working the counter.

And, as promised, Roman had toned down his flirting. It appeared to be his sole purpose to make Virgil blush every day, but they hadn’t had any more incidents. However, their interactions were quite the thing to watch, if the influx of customers had anything to say about it.

“Wow, Virgil.” Roman said as he sipped his drink. “You’re as bitter as my coffee today.”

Virgil crossed his arms. “Did you want to come make it yourself?”

A smirk crossed Roman’s face and he lifted his leg onto the counter. The act of flexibility had Virgil turning bright red. “Actually -”

“Roman, get off the counter.” Logan ordered as he came out of the kitchen. Roman sheepishly lowered his leg to the floor. “We’re still on for Open Mic night tonight, correct?”

“Wouldn’t miss it.” Turning to Virgil, Roman batted his eyelashes. “I do hope you’ll be there as well.”

“I work here, don’t I?”

Moving slowly, Roman placed his hand on top of Virgil’s. When the younger man didn’t pull away, he smiled. “Good. You can see how talented my pretty mouth is.”

“Is there any way to get your pretty mouth to shut up?” Virgil raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, I bet you’d like to know.” Roman purred. He lifted Virgil’s hand and pressed a kiss against the knuckles - all without breaking eye contact. “See you tonight.”

Giving a flirty wave, Roman left. Virgil was steadily turning redder, though it wasn’t as bad as last time. At least nothing was broken.

“Can I go?” He squeaked.

Stifling his laughter, Logan nodded. He barely had time to call out “Be back by six!” before Virgil was out the door.

Emile giggled from her usual place, sipping out of the new mug she and Remy had gone out to buy. To the naked eye, it wouldn’t seem special. After all it was just a mug with two handprints. But it was the fact that it was their handprints that made it special.

“Em? A kiss for your thoughts?”

She glanced up, tilting her head. “I thought it was a penny for your thoughts?”

“Normally, yes.” Remy grinned, leaning over the counter. “But a kiss is so much better.”

Sliding her mug out of the way, Emile cupped Remy’s cheek as their lips met. That familiar dizziness swirled in her brain. It was a wonder she could ever think properly with Remy around.

A whine left her throat as Remy pulled back. He shot her a grin. “Your thoughts?”

“Oh!” Emile ran her hands over the handprints. “Just remembering when we went to get this.”

“It was a lot of fun picking that out.” Their conversation paused as Remy rang up a customer. When he turned back to his partner, he couldn’t help the fondness that seeped into his gaze. “Maybe we should check out that pottery class.”

“That would be amazing!” Emile squealed, bouncing in her seat.

“It would make a nice birthday present for a special someone, don’t you think?” Remy teased, smiling as she wriggled with happiness. She may have been unable to speak, but it didn’t matter. Remy had known her long enough. “I already booked the slots.”

A huge grin split Emile’s face. “Oh, Rem, you’re the best! I lo-”

The two stared at each other for a second as Emile abruptly cut herself off. She got up, grabbing her mug. “I…I should go. Gotta get ready for open mic night!”

“Em-”

“See you soon!”

The bell on the door jingled. Remy watched Emile walk away through the window.

“Remy,” Logan put a hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“She - she almost said -” The thoughts swirled in Remy’s brain as he stared at the door. “Logan…she feels the same way.”

A high pitched squeal rang out, startling quite a few customers. Patton blushed at the attention before whispering, “You’re in love?!”

“Yeah, Pat.” Heart skipping a beat, Remy felt love swell up in his chest. “I am.”

“That’s amazing!” Darting forward, Patton hugged Remy tightly. “You have to tell her! Oooh, you could sing something tonight and dedicate it to her!”

“Pat, that’s a good idea, but Em doesn’t like that kind of thing.” Remy explained, ever so gently nudging Logan with his foot. “But it’s great that you do!”

A timer went off, sending Patton back to the kitchen. Logan stood frozen, his face white. “Remy -”

“Logan. It would make him so happy.”

“But I-I can’t sing.”

A snort had Remy slapping a hand over his mouth. “Can’t sing? Lo, you won a contest in high school.”

“It’s been too long.” Logan protested, the color slowly returning to his face. “I -”

“Logan, you don’t have to.” Putting his hands on Logan’s shoulders, Remy looked him in the eye. “But if something this perfect will never fall into your lap. Patton loves you and everything you do. It doesn’t have to be great.”

Nodding, Logan traced his fingers over a box in his pocket. “You’re right.”

Before long, everyone found themselves back in the cafe. Remy was pacing behind the counter, waiting for Emile. He wanted to tell her exactly how he felt before anyone started singing. Nothing could ruin this moment.

“Ah,  _mi amor_ , you’re here!”

At least he had some entertainment until she got here.

Virgil raised an eyebrow. “I have to be here.”

“Perhaps.” Roman moved closer, pinning Virgil up against the counter. The younger man blushed but made no move to get away. “Would you be here if you didn’t have to be?”

Virgil leaned in, brushing his nose against Roman’s. “Perhaps.”

Before Roman could eagerly close the gap, Virgil ducked under his arm and headed over to Patton. The normally flirtatious man was left alone with a stunned look on his face.

“Ooooh, I’ve never seen you out flirted before.” Remy teased.

Blood rushed to Roman’s face. “Shut up.”

He walked away, leaving Emile in his place. Remy jumped. “Em! I didn’t see you come in.”

“Can we, um…can we talk? About earlier?” She asked, fidgeting with the bottom of her skirt.

Nodding, Remy slid over the counter. Emile sat in her usual spot, leaning into Remy as he sat next to her.

“I know we’ve only been dating for five months, but…” She sucked in a deep breath. “I think - I know…I’m in love with you.”

Emile turned to find Remy giving her heart eyes, his face split into a wide smile. “Em, I’ve loved you since the day you walked into my life. Of course, I didn’t know right away. Not until our first date.”

“You’ve loved me since our first date?”

A blush crept up Remy’s neck. “Yeah.”

Emile jumped into his lap, kissing him hard. Remy had to grip the counter to keep from falling off the stool. He quickly lost himself in the kiss, wrapping his other arm around Emile’s waist.

A loud wolf whistle made them break apart. Looking around Emile’s curls, Remy saw Roman looking at them with a smirk.

Matching his expression, Remy looked at Virgil before his eyes darted back to Roman. Roman flushed and headed to the microphone.

“I’m happy to announce that tonight’s theme is musicals!” Waving a hand, Roman grinned as the opening notes to Wilkommen began to play. “The wonderful cast of Cabaret will be starting us off!”

Remy couldn’t help but laugh as he noticed Virgil’s eyes glued to Roman through the performance. Especially when Roman moved his hips.

By the time they were finished, Roman was breathing hard. “I’d like to challenge anyone who thinks they can do a better job than that.”

“Move over, Princey!”

Virgil headed up the steps to their makeshift stage, plucking the mic out of Roman’s hands. He had a few words with the sound guy before a familiar tune began to play.

“ _How can you see into my eyes like open doors?_ ”

Roman’s jaw dropped at Virgil’s deep baritone. The emo winked at Roman as he continued, absolutely nailing the song.

When he was finished, everyone cheered.

“That was great!” Roman called from his front row seat. “But I believe I said that the theme was musicals.”

Glaring at Roman, Virgil whispered to the sound guy again. At his nod, the music started up once more.

“ _I’ve been through ten high schools._

_They start to get blurry._

_No point in planting your roots_

_‘cause you’re gone in a hurry._ ”

Once again, Virgil nailed the song. He shot a grin at Roman. “Is that musical enough for you?”

“How do you feel about duets?” Roman asked, holding up two fingers to the sound guy.

Virgil raised an eyebrow. “There’s only one mic.”

“Then I guess we share.” Taking a step forward, Roman laid his hand over Virgil’s. “Is that okay with you, Tall, Dark, and Gloomy?”

“Bring it on, Donna Summers.”

“What?”

Virgil grinned, leaning closer. “Hot Stuff.”

Seventeen started up and the theater kids went nuts. Roman and Virgil’s voices melded so perfectly together, and it was obvious that they only had eyes for each other.

As the song came to a close, they were just a hair’s breadth from each other.

“ _You’re the one I choose._ ”

Both of their eyes started to slide shut as they leaned in. When the crowd erupted into applause, Virgil jerked back. He practically threw the mic into Roman’s hand before sliding back into his seat, his face burning red.

Logan slid over, Patton practically clinging to his side. “How long until they get together?”

“I give it to the end of the night.”

A snort left Logan’s mouth. “Yeah, right. Not until next week.”

“Bet.”

“Usual rules?” Logan asked, holding his hand out.

Remy nodded and they shook hands. “Prepare to lose.”

“Whatever.” Logan carefully unwrapped Patton’s arm from his waist. “Pat, I’ve gotta go do…something. Can you wait here for me? Sit with Rem?”

Patton nodded. Before Logan could dart off, Patton pulled him into a kiss. It barely lasted a second, but it was enough to make Logan stumble when he was released. “Go on, honey.”

“Y-yeah.”

Remy could help but laugh at Patton’s cheeky grin. “You have him wrapped around your finger.”

“Oh, that’s not hard.” Emile mumbled, shifting ever so slightly in Remy’s lap. “Hmm. Maybe it is.”

“Em -”

She flashed him an innocent smile. “Shh, there’s another performance starting.”

“Is that Logan?” Patton asked as he turned to the stage.

If there hadn’t been a deep blush on Logan’s cheeks, he would’ve looked his usual cool, calm, and collected. Taking a deep breath, he started singing.

“ _I can hear the bells._ ”

A gasp left Patton’s mouth immediately.

“ _Well, don’t ya hear them chime?_

 _Can’t you feel my heartbeat keeping perfect time?_ ”

As the song continued, Logan made his way through the crowd, stopping right in front of Patton. When he’d sung the final line, Remy plucked the mic from his hand, allowing Logan to drop to one knee.

“Patton Michael Foster. We’ve been together for five years and you’ve made me so happy. The only thing that could make me happier is if you agreed to marry me.”

“Yes!” Patton sobbed, throwing himself into Logan’s arms. “Yes, Logan, yes!”

“I didn’t - mmph!”

Pulling back from the kiss, Patton held out his left hand. “You don’t have to finish. I’ve wanted to marry you since our rained out picnic.”

Grinning, Logan slid the ring onto Patton’s finger. The aquamarine sparkled in the light as Patton held it up. He yanked Logan into another kiss as the crowd cheered.

Slowly, the night began to dwindle down. By the time it hit eight, there weren’t any strangers left in the cafe.

“That went extremely well.” Logan said, holding hands with Patton. The bright and sunny smile on his face was different, but more than welcomed.

Remy nodded. He opened his mouth to congratulate the two, only for his eyes to land on something much more interesting. “Looks like I win.”

“What?”

Whirling around, Logan saw Virgil and Roman, sitting in a booth, making out. He let out a quiet groan. “Rem -”

“You know the rules.” Remy teased. “Patton, how’d you like your fiance wrapped in leather?”

A dark look passed through Patton’s eyes. “Why would he -”

“I won. I get to dress Logan for the day.” Remy explained. “Guess we’re going shopping tomorrow, cuz. You really should own a leather jacket.”

“Why can’t I just wear yours?”

“Because Remy’s jacket is  _mine_.”

Three sets of eyes darted to Emile as she practically growled.

The squeak that left Remy’s mouth was something he’d never live down, but in the moment he didn’t care. “Babe?”

She pulled him into a deep kiss, biting his bottom lip hard. “You’re staying at my place tonight.”

“Y-yes ma’am.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Allusions to sex, innuendo, kissing, flirting, mention of hickies

Remy was more than grateful that he’d taken the next day off.

Especially since he didn’t wake up until noon.

His opened his eyes when he felt kisses peppering his cheeks. Emile gave him a soft smile, making his heart flutter.

“Good morning.” He mumbled, pulling Emile down for a short kiss. “When did you wake up?”

“Just a few minutes ago.” They said, stretching their arms above their head. Their shirt shifted and Remy took the opportunity to run his fingers along the strip of skin that was revealed. Emile let out a giggle, arms shooting down. “Remyyyyy.”

“Don’ worry. You wore me out last night.”

The blush that bloomed across Emile’s face was positively adorable. “I didn’t mean -”

“Hey, it’s fine. Trust me, I don’t mind.” He teased, sitting up so they were face to face. “Even if it wasn’t what I was expecting, my little adventurer.”

“Stoooop.”

Pecking them on the lips, Remy nodded. “Okay, okay. Did you want to get some breakfast, or do you have patients today?”

“Breakfast sounds perfect.”

The two of them moved to get ready for the day. Remy stopped short, giving Emile a sheepish grin. “I, uh...I didn’t bring a spare change of clothes. Do you mind if I…”

Something sparkled in Emile’s eyes as they bounded toward the closet. “I have your leather jacket still, but you can pick anything else.”

When Emile slid the door open, Remy was blinded by a rainbow of pastels. His partner had their clothes sorted by color, ranging from baby pink to sky blue. There was a small section of whites, grays, and blacks clumped together at the very end of the spectrum.

“Babe, why don’t you pick something for me?”

The words were hardly out of Remy’s mouth before Emile was grabbing clothes. They laid out a color block sweater that was pink, purple, and blue. As they headed back to the clothes, Remy touched the fabric, gasping at how soft it felt.

“That’s one of my favorites.” Emile said, putting a pair of light wash jeans on the bed. “I usually wear it when things are too much.”

Remy’s eyes snapped to their face. “Babe -”

“It’s okay, I haven’t worn it much since we got together.” Emile slipped their arms around Remy’s neck, gazing up at him. “Only a few times when you couldn’t be with me.”

“I wish I could always be with you.” Remy hugged his partner tight, nuzzling into their hair.

Emile gently pulled away, grabbing some socks and throwing them at Remy. He couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of Reptar printed on a sock.

“Try it on?” Emile asked, moving to sit on the bed.

Remy stripped immediately, grinning as he watched Emile rake their eyes over his body. The sweater was the softest thing he’d ever worn. The jeans were a bit short, but considering he was a few inches taller than Emile, that couldn’t be helped. He rolled them to make it work, before sliding the socks on his feet.

“How do I look?”

Emile gave him an innocent smile. “Good enough for another round, but we need to eat first because I’m starving.”

Hearing those words come out of such an innocent face had heat spreading through Remy’s veins. “Babe, you can’t just -”

The words died in his throat as Emile crawled across the bed, yanking him down and sliding into his lap. “Food first.”

“Yep.” Remy squeaked, making Emile giggle.

They gave him a kiss before sliding on an outfit as quickly as possible, only getting distracted once.

It was nearly one by the time the made it to the coffee shop.

Roman sat on one of the stools, flirting shamelessly with Virgil.

“You’re lucky we don’t have any customers, Ro.” Remy teased as he grabbed mugs for him and Emile. “Logan would kick you out of the store.”

“Any business is good business. Even if it’s Roman.” Logan said as he walked out of the back. “How was your night?”

“Eventful.” Remy winked, making his cousin gag. “As was yours, based on the number of hickies on your neck.”

Covering his neck, Logan darted off into the back room.

“That’s one way to get rid of your boss.” Virgil laughed. “One hot chocolate for Emile, and what thousand syrup concoction do you want?”

“Relax, I just want a mocha today. With a pump of salted caramel syrup.”

“Sit down, it’ll be ready when it’s ready.”

Virgil worked quickly, serving up Emile’s hot chocolate first. When he leaned over to grab more coffee beans, Roman let out an appreciative whistle. “What a sight to behold!”

“Shut  _ up _ , Roman.” The insult held no bite, and Virgil’s face was red when he rang up the drinks. As soon as Remy had paid, Virgil went back to giving Roman all of his attention.

“So, I’m thinking a picnic on Wednesday?” Remy said, trying his hardest to be nonchalant. “Kind of a fun date for being together for five months.”

Emile counted on their fingers, lighting up. “Aww, Wednesday  _ is _ our anniversary! I’m glad you remembered!”

“I’d never forget the day we became official.”

“ _ Gayyyy _ .” Virgil coughed, making them laugh.

Roman gave his boyfriend a look. “What’s gay is having a d-”

“Finish that sentence and die.”

The two started to squabble, only stopping when Logan called Roman over to plan out the next month’s open mic night.

“Why do I like him?” Virgil asked, his gaze never leaving Roman.

Emile covered Remy’s mouth before he could respond. “I don’t know, why don’t you tell us?”

“He’s just...god, he’s like a real life Prince Charming. Body carved by the gods, hair that swoops perfectly, a decent sense of style. And that’s just the outside. He never shuts up about the theater, but he talks about it with so much passion.” Virgil ranted, a smile forming on his face. “He’s stupidly romantic, and he’d defend my honor to the death. He’s just...almost perfect. We’ve only been together for...not even a day.”

“Every relationship is different.” Emile’s hand trailed down Remy’s arm, linking their fingers together. “Some are slow, some are fast. But when you find the one...you just know.”

Virgil let out a deep breath, smiling wider as Roman said something that made Logan roll his eyes.

“Yeah. I guess you do.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Innuendo, flirting, kissing, swearing

Remy and Emile finished their drinks just before Roman came back to continue flirting with Virgil.

“Virgil, can I get a cinnamon bun?”

“Sure thing, Em.” Virgil swiped their card before heading over to the pastry case.

Roman leaned over the counter. “I see much tastier buns.”

“ _ Roman! _ "

“Em, I have to check and see if Logan needs anything, are you okay here? Otherwise you can -”

“Remy, I’m fine.” Emile giggled, the sound turning Remy’s insides to mush. They pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. “I’ll just watch the show over here.”

“Glad that my attempts to woo Virgil are entertaining.” Roman said, winking at Virgil.

That got an eye roll from the barista. “You already have me, you don’t have to woo me.”

Remy laughed, releasing Emile and heading into the kitchen. Only to find Logan and Patton making goo goo eyes at each other. 

“So I get to be the best man, right?”

Used to Remy’s antics, Logan merely rolled his eyes while Patton giggled. The latter readjusted their joined hands so that he could pour some egg yolks into his batter. “Tell him.”

Grabbing a blue envelope off the table, Logan handed it to his cousin. “I was going to wait for movie night, but you’ve never been patient.”

Ripping open the envelope, Remy pulled out the card. In elegant silver script, the card read, ‘Just don’t fuck the speech up. Will you be my best man?’

“Where did you get this?”

“Etsy.” Logan said as Remy fell into a laughing fit. “Someone called PaperbirdDesignUK.”

Putting on a serious face, Remy said, “You know you could’ve just asked, right?”

“I know.” Logan bumped his shoulder into Patton’s. “But  _ someone  _ insisted that I make it formal.”

Before Emile, Remy would’ve made gagging noises as Patton pulled Logan into a soft kiss. But now...there was something sweet about it. He gave his cousin a small smile before grabbing the card and heading back to his love.

Roman, of course, noticed the card immediately. “Whatcha got there, Sunny?”

Remy raised an eyebrow. “Sunny?”

“You know, because...sunglasses - it’s not one of my better nicknames, okay?”

Virgil was covering his mouth, doing his best not to openly laugh at his boyfriend. The laughter bubbled up regardless, not muffled by his hand at all.

Roman looked over, splaying an open hand over his chest and letting out an offended noise. “How dare you laugh at me!”

“Do you even  _ have _ any good nicknames, Princey?” While the tone was teasing, there was no denying the heart eyes Virgil was giving his boyfriend.

Reaching across the counter, Roman linked their fingers together. “You know I do, babe. Darling. Honey. Sweetheart. Love -”

“Okay, okay! I give!”

Giggles bubbled out of Emile’s mouth as they watched the two. Virgil flushed as he remembered they had an audience, gently pulling his hands from Roman’s to wipe down the counter.

“You know, Lo doesn’t care if you two flirt.” Remy pointed out, slipping his arms around Emile and showing them the card. As they looked, he pressed a kiss to their hair.

“I know, but...I - I’m still getting used to  _ this _ .” He motioned between him and Roman. The blush on his cheeks had amped up a few notches. “I haven’t...I’ve had one boyfriend in my life. Ever. So this - it’s new.”

“No worries, my stormcloud.” Love poured out of Roman’s eyes as he looked at Virgil, but made no move to touch him. “We’ll take it at your pace.”

“Thanks...my prince.”

Emile’s voice broke through the haze of romance. “He asked you to be his best man?”

“What?!” Taking the card from Emile, Roman’s eyes flicked over the text. He laughed before handing it to Virgil. “Don’t fuck up the speech. Rem, I expect to hear nothing less than a kickass best man speech full of embarrassing stories.”

“That would imply you’ve been invited to the wedding.” Logan said as he and Patton came out of the kitchen. 

Patton’s hands were behind his back and he was trying to tone down his bright smile. He shifted slightly, allowing Remy to see the cards he was holding behind his back.

Sliding across the floor, Roman flung an arm around Logan’s shoulders. “Come on, Lo! We’ve been friends since college. And you can’t  _ not _ invite the best dancer you know!”

Virgil used a different tactic, moving out from the counter and standing in front of Patton. He gave his friend a look. “Pat?”

“You’re both invited!” Patton held out the invites.

“I should’ve known you’d crack under the pressure.” Placing a kiss to Patton’s cheek, Logan gently took the third envelope from Patton. “Emile? I know you’d end up being Remy’s plus one anyway, but we wanted to formally invite you.”

“Didn’t you guys get engaged last night?” Emile asked as they took the envelope. “How do you have invites already?”

A blush crept up Logan’s cheeks as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Well...we’ve been talking about marriage for a while and we both had already agreed on a theme and all…we’ve had invites for a while…”

“How long?” Remy teased, grinning at his cousin.

Patton leaned into Logan’s side. “I think you got them around the same time we opened up the shop, didn’t you Honeybee?”

“ _ Pat. _ ”

“Oh my goodness gracious, that’s adorable!” Emile squealed, leaning back against Remy’s chest. He tightened his arms around them ever so slightly. “What kind of theme were you guys thinking?”

“I’m not sure what to call it other than romantic.” Logan looked at Patton for help.

“I have a Pinterest board!”

Emile pulled out of Remy’s arms, looking over the photos with Patton. Roman made his way over as well, the three of them beginning to talk venues and flowers. Virgil went back to work, but couldn’t help himself from smiling at Roman. Logan and Remy were in the same boat.

“Hey, Lo.”

Tearing his eyes off Patton, Logan turned to his cousin. “Hmm?”

“If I’m your best man, that means I get to plan your bachelor party, right?”

“Oh, shit.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Kissing, flirting

On Wednesday morning, Remy glided about the kitchen. Soft music played through his phone, amplified by the glass it had been placed in - a trick Logan had taught him. Chai sat on her cat tree, tail swishing as she watched him.

Just as Remy finished packing the picnic basket, the door opened. Emile gave him a radiant smile, making her way into his open arms.

“Happy anniversary.” She leaned up, giving him a quick kiss.

Remy raised an eyebrow before kissing Emile again, a little deeper than the one he’d just received. He couldn’t help but grin at the gasp she let out. “Five months. It feels like it’s been so much longer.”

“It feels like a lifetime.” Peeking over his shoulder, Emile spotted the basket. “You didn’t have to pack by yourself.”

“I wanted to.” Reaching out, Remy grabbed the basket. With his other hand, he intertwined their fingers. “Shall we?”

A shy smile crossed Emile’s face. She grabbed Remy’s phone out of the cup, waving it in the air. “Don’t you want this?”

“Shit, yeah.”

Before Remy could reach for it, Emile slipped it into his back pocket. “There you go!”

He flushed as she grinned at him, slowly dragging him toward the door.

They headed to the park, making their way to the top of one of the hills. A single tree stood at the top, providing them with just enough shade to cool off.

Emile laid out the blanket, smoothing it down completely before allowing Remy to put the basket down. He watched as she moved, something so fluid about her movements. If he had his way, they’d go on picnics every day for the rest of their lives.

“Rem?”

He blinked out of his stupor, finding Emile looking at him curiously from the blanket, her pink skirt smoothed out around her. “Hmm?”

“You gonna sit?”

He sat next to her, easily slipping an arm around her waist. Setting the basket in front of them, he asked, “Did you wanna eat now or just chill for a bit?”

“Let’s chill.” She said, just a tad too quickly.

Biting his lip, Remy’s thoughts swirled. Should he ask, or would that just make her upset? Something was clearly bothering her.

“Em-”

She slid into his lap, pressing a finger to his lips. “I don’t wanna talk about it. Not yet.”

“Okay. When you’re ready, I’m here to listen.”

A soft smile made Emile seem as though she was absolutely shining from the inside out. “Thanks.”

“I love you.” Remy breathed, pulling Emile just a bit closer.

She linked her arms around his neck, smile widening. “I love you too.”

The two exchanged a few lazy kisses before laying back, watching the clouds go by.

“That one looks like a ghost.” Emile said as she pointed.

Remy smiled. “Someone call Danny Phantom.”

A giggle poured out of Emile, filling Remy’s heart with so much love that he thought it would burst.

Damn, he really was a disaster bi.

After a little while watching the clouds, Remy heard Emile’s stomach growl. He gently sat the two of them up, reaching for the picnic basket.

Only for his arm to be grabbed by a slim wrist.

“Wait.”

He sat back, waiting for her.

She took in a deep breath before staring at the blanket. “I - I have this...thing. With food. Um...there’s certain things I can’t - that I won’t eat because of the texture.”

Seeing her so upset had Remy wanting to fight anything that could ever hurt her, however unrealistic that would be. “I packed a lot of stuff because I wasn’t sure what you liked. How about we look through and see if anything is good for you, otherwise we’ll go to a restaurant instead.”

“But you worked so hard!”

Remy spun Emile into his lap once more, linking their fingers together. “Em. Nothing means more to me than your happiness. I was dancing around my kitchen making this stuff this morning because I knew you were so happy to go on a picnic. If making you happy means not eating the picnic food, then that’s completely fine with me. Besides, I can give it to Pat and Lo or something, I’m sure they’d love it.”

A few tears dripped down Em’s face. “You’re too good to me.”

“Never.” Remy kissed the tears away. “Shall we?”

Emile turned around, remaining on his lap as she opened up the picnic basket. She started pulling out what Remy had packed. There wasn’t any indication that she liked or didn’t like anything until she turned around, a huge grin on her face.

“These are all of my favorite foods!”

Letting out a sigh of relief, Remy nuzzled into her neck. “I’m glad.”

A loud crunch had him looking up to a sheepish Emile, who was already eating some sour cream and onion chips.

“I guess someone’s hungrier than they thought.” He teased, pecking her cheek before grabbing his own food.

A comfortable silence settled over them as they ate, broken only by the crunch of chips and the cries of the birds nearby. Orange flickered in their vision as a monarch butterfly landed in the dandelion patch to their left.

The butterfly took off in a panic as a puppy popped into view. The fluffy creature dove into Emile’s lap. She caught it in surprise, holding its collar and petting it.

“Shhh, it’s okay.”

“Oh, thank goodness!” A voice called out. A young girl no more than thirteen came running, their breathing panicked as they arrived. “I thought she was going to keep running and - I thought I was going to lose her forever!”

Emile reclipped the leash the girl was holding, making sure it was secure before handing the puppy back. “Hey, she’s back with you now. What’s her name?”’

“Lillipup, but I call her Lilli.”

A loud squeal left Emile. “You named her after a Pokemon?!”

“I love Pokemon!” The girl shot Emile a grin. A shout from behind her made her turn. “I gotta go know, but it was nice meeting you ma’am! You too sir!”

She disappeared down the hill, the puppy securely in her arms. When Emile turned around, there were tears in her eyes. “She called me ma’am!”

“You’re obviously a ma’am.” Remy pulled her in by the waist, nuzzling their noses together. “You’re  _ my  _ ma’am.”

“I love you.”

“And I love you.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Kissing, flirting, food mention, implied nsfw
> 
> I screwed up guys, I forgot to put this chapter in before chapter 14! My bad

“Oh, Logannnnn.” Remy called as he walked into his cousin’s apartment.

Patton was in the kitchen, making breakfast. He waved with his spatula. “Hey Rem. What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to cash in on a certain bet.” Remy said, leaning against the doorframe. “Em has clients all day, and we’re closed, so I know that Lo has time today.”

“What if I had a date planned with Patton?” Logan asked as he came out of the bedroom. His dark hair was sticking up at all angles, and he wasn’t wearing a shirt.

Remy let out a whistle at the sight of his cousin’s muscles. “Damn, no wonder Patton loves you so much.”

“I love him for lots of reasons!” Patton protested as a blush crept over his face. “The physical beauty is just another plus.”

“ _Patton_.” The two of them now had matching red cheeks. “It’s much too early for this.”

“You guys are adorable.” Flipping a chair around, Remy sat on it so that he could rest his arms on the back. “Don’t let me stop the love fest.”

“I hate you.” Logan’s words held no bite as he moved into the kitchen and gave Patton a kiss on the cheek. “You’re really lucky that Patton has plans with Virgil today because I wouldn’t cancel date night for anything.”

Emile’s giggles echoed in Remy’s head. “I wouldn’t expect you to.”

“About time you understood.” Logan joked, humming as Patton returned the cheek kiss.

Remy rolled his eyes. “About time we get you a new outfit.”

A groan left Logan’s mouth and he buried his face in his hands. “I was so sure that the two of them would be pining over each other!”

“Not everyone is a disaster like us.” Patton pointed out, dumping the eggs on a plate. He handed one to Logan, before gesturing to Remy. Remy shook his head, leaving Patton to pull the bacon off the tray and continue making the plates. “Didn’t you say that Roman was a flirt in college?”

“Yes, but I didn’t say he was a good flirt.” Logan began shoveling eggs into his mouth.

Remy turned his gaze to the other glasses gay. “What are you and Virgil up to today?”

“Oh, you know, I’m just showing him my favorite spots. Like the museum, the gardens, the dog park - oh and Fratelli’s!” A wide smile spread across Patton’s face. “That’s where Logan and I went on our first date! They have the best pizza.”

“V asked for date spots for him and Roman?”

Patton nodded. “Yep!”

“I’m glad you’re showing him all the best ones.” Logan said as he finished his breakfast. He stuck his plate in the dishwasher before stealing a kiss from Pat. “Just keep a few of our more special spots for us.”

“Oh, like the…” Patton glanced over at Remy before whispering in Logan’s ear.

Remy fake gagged as his cousin turned red. “Okay, come on, get dressed, we’re leaving.”

Logan quickly vanished into his room.

“Please never tell me what you just said to him.”

The blushy giggle that came from Patton told him everything he needed to know - which was that he really didn’t  _want_  to know.

Logan emerged not a moment too soon. He gave Patton a lingering kiss before Remy yanked him away and to the Uber.

“Where are you taking me?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Groaning, Logan leaned back. “Rem, please. I’d like to have some semblance of what I’m being subjected to.”

“Relax, I’m not dressing you up in a harness or anything.” Remy bit back his laughter as their Uber driver gave him a confused look in the mirror. “I’m just updating your wardrobe a bit. Pretend I’m Tan France.”

“Roman has more similarities to Tan than you do. You’re more like…Bruley.”

Pulling down his sunglasses, Remy shot a glare at his cousin. “How dare you?”

The two of them started laughing, which was cut short on Logan’s end as they pulled up to the strip mall. There were a few thrift stores bookmarking the ends, but he knew that Remy was headed for Lionel’s Leatherworks.

“Rem.”

“Come on.” Remy dragged Logan out of the Uber, paying as they walked toward the door. “I don’t think Patton is going to protest in the slightest when I’m done with you.”

“Patton likes the way I dress.”

“Then I’ll get him to lust the way you dress.”

The rest of the morning was a blur as Logan was shoved into dressing room after dressing room, trying on everything Remy was tossing over the door. At one point he threw the article right back over, denying it immediately.

“Lo-”

“I am  _not_  trying that on.”

“ _Fine_.”

By the time the two headed over to Olive Garden, Logan was exhausted.

“It’s only been three hours!” Remy protested when Logan vetoed going to any more stores.

Logan quickly put in his order and handed the menu back to the waitress. “Remy, I’m going to collapse if we do anything else.”

“Ugh, you’re a horrible shopping buddy.” Remy took a sip of his iced tea. “I’m bringing Roman next time.”

Logan rolled his eyes. “The two of you would never come back. On second thought, maybe you should take him.”

“Ha ha, very funny.”

“In all seriousness, though, thank you. We haven’t really had a cousin’s day in a while, even if I had to suffer through this.” Logan unfolded his napkin and stuck it in his lap. “How are things going with you and Emile?”

Remy could feel the grin splitting his face in half, and he didn’t care how lovestruck he looked. “Em is amazing. They’re the best partner I could’ve asked for. Ever.”

“Do I hear wedding bells?” Logan teased.

Blood rushed to Remy’s cheeks. “Not…not yet. But speaking of weddings, how’s the planning going?”

The two of them talked wedding details throughout lunch, Remy giving his input on some calmer venues and decoration ideas.

Once they were back at Logan’s apartment, Remy dug through the bags, finding all of the pieces he wanted.

“The rules of the bet state that I can dress you for a full day. But I’m relinquishing that power, and you only have to wear this for the rest of the day.” Remy said as he presented the outfit to Logan. “And don’t forget that we have a triple date dinner planned tonight.”

With a sigh, Logan headed into the bathroom to change.

When he came out, Remy’s jaw dropped. “Lo, you look hot as fuck.”

“Remy.”

“Look in the mirror.”

The dark skinny jeans Logan had on did wonders for his calves and his ass, and the navy leather jacket actually made him look cool. Coupled with the dressy sneakers, and the plain white t-shirt, he was serving a look.

Remy watched Logan admire himself for a moment, a grin on his face. “How’d I do?”

“You did amazing.”

The door to the apartment opened. “Lo? I’m back!”

“Pat, wait out there for a second!” Remy called.

“Okay!”

“I’m going to go out first, you come out when you’re ready.”

Remy found Patton in the living room, holding a gift bag. A pizza box sat on the coffee table, the smell making Remy’s mouth water.

Patton waved a hand. “Go ahead if you want some.”

Shaking his head, Remy motioned to the hallway, where Logan was now standing.

Patton’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh, gosh, Lo, you - you look amazing!”

“It’s all Remy’s doing.”

“Remy, thank you.” Patton said in a strangled voice, his eyes not moving from Logan’s. “But I think you should leave now.”

Grabbing his phone, Remy quickly headed out. He grinned as he texted Emile, letting them know that the plan had been a total success.

**My New Dream: That’s great!**

**My New Dream: Oh! My last client rescheduled, so I can come over if you want.**

**Remy: I wouldn’t say no**

**My New Dream: Be over in a jiffy!**

By the time Remy got back to his apartment, Emile was already there, having been let in by Virgil.

“How’d it go?” He was lying upside down on the couch, probably texting Roman.

“Great. Patton kicked me out.”

Virgil made a face. “Gross. Warn me if I need to leave.”

“You’re good. For now.” Remy slipped his arms around Emile, making them giggle. Virgil left the room as he pressed a few kisses to the top of their head.

“Remyyyyy.”

“Yes, love?”

Em let out a squeak, spinning in his arms. Their face was steadily turning red at the nickname. “When do I get to take you shopping?”

“Anytime you want, doll.”

Emile’s blush deepened. Before they could say anything, Remy leaned down, kissing them slowly. A whine left their mouth as Remy pulled back, a grin on his face.

“Problem?” He asked, pulling them closer.

“Yeah.” Em reached up, threading their fingers through the hair at the nape of Remy’s neck. “My boyfriend won’t kiss me properly.”

“V is still here.”

“V is leaving.” Virgil said as he walked around the couple. “I’m meeting up with Roman. See you at the restaurant.”

“Don’t get carried away and be late!” Remy teased.

Virgil raised an eyebrow, looking them up and down. “I could say the same to you.”

“You could, but you would never.”

Virgil laughed at that, giving a little salute before heading out the door.

Emile gave a sharp tug to Remy’s jacket, connecting their lips once more. It quickly turned into a makeout session in the middle of the kitchen.

Just as Remy slid his hands to Em’s waist, they pulled back. “Wouldn’t want to get carried away, would we?”

“You’re such a tease.” Remy kissed them. “Steven Universe?”

“What’s the Hulu equivalent to Netflix and Chill?” Em asked, walking backward toward Remy’s bedroom. “Because I wouldn’t mind that.”

Scooping up Emile, Remy kissed them hard, carrying them to the bedroom.

One busy hour later, the two of them headed over to the restaurant for their triple date. Emile was applying some foundation in the car.

“I didn’t think you’d bruise so easily.” Remy said, cheeks turning pink. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. I…I liked it.” The admission had Emile blushing hard.

Remy stifled a groan into their hair. “Em, you’re killing me.”

“We’re not cancelling on them. Again.”

By the time they reached the restaurant, the others were already there. Patton waved as they entered, getting their attention.

“What did I say?” Virgil teased as the two of them sat down.

Remy pointed to the clock. “We’re not late.”

“You’re just the last ones here.”

They all ordered when the waitress came around, before Remy noticed something interesting.

It was clear that Patton was going to be making goo-goo eyes at Logan all night.

But he certainly wasn’t the only one.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Kissing, flirting, implied nsfw

_**“This is Halloween, this is Hall-!”** _

Groaning, Remy crawled out of bed to see what was going on. He nearly ran straight into a spiderweb, shrieking in a very manly fashion.

“Rem?” Emile asked, blinking awake. “Was’ goin on?”

“Go back to sleep babe.” Pink rushed to Em’s cheeks as the nickname was dropped, causing Remy to crack a grin.

Only for him to get flustered as Emile said, “I can’t sleep without my cuddle bug.”

“You guys are too cute, that’s not allowed.” Virgil’s voice drifted down the hallway. “Sorry for waking you up, I didn’t realize my phone was connected to the speaker.”

Remy padded down the hall, dodging various Halloween decorations. “V, it’s September 1st.”

“If Christmas can be a whole season, so can Halloween!”

“You know what, that’s fair.” Remy stretched. “I’m going back to bed, have fun trapping Roman in a web when he comes over later.”

Virgil’s laughter trailed after Remy as he made his way back into his bedroom. Emile made grabby hands as he crawled under the covers. He snuggled into his chest, breathing evening out almost immediately. Remy buried his nose in Emile’s hair, falling asleep just as quickly.

By the time he actually got up, Virgil had headed off to work. Emile tightened his grip on Remy’s arm. “Noooo.”

“Em, come on, we need to get up.” Remy insisted, smiling softly as his boyfriend whined. “I need to go in and talk to Logan before the shop closes up for the day. He wanted to have a meeting about our next open mic night.”

“The Halloween one?”

“Yeah.”

Emile leaned back against the sheets. “Then I suppose I can let you go.”

Crawling back on the bed, Remy leaned down and gave Emile a quick kiss. “I promise I’ll be back before you know it.”

“I’ll be counting the minutes.”

Before Remy could leave completely, Emile pulled him back down for a searing kiss. As they pulled apart, Remy gasped for air. “What was that for?”

“I love you.”

The sincerity in Emile’s voice had Remy seriously debating if he needed to go to this meeting. But, knowing his cousin, Logan would come over himself and drag him to the shop.

“I love you too.”

When he got to the shop, he was a bit surprised to see everyone behind the counter. Including Roman.

“I thought this meeting would be in your office.” He said as he walked in, throwing on an apron.

Logan shook his head. “It’s easier out here. We can’t all fit in my office.”

“Not with that attitude.” Roman quipped, earning an eye roll and a smile from Virgil.

Clearing his throat, Logan grabbed everyone’s attention. “Okay, meeting starts now. Virgil, Remy, switch off taking care of the customers and listen in if you can. With Halloween coming up, I was hoping this open mic night would actually be a Halloween party instead.”

Virgil’s eyes completely lit up. “I have all of the Halloween decorations you’ll ever need.”

“You’re volunteering to decorate?” Logan asked.

“Absolutely!”

Roman threw an arm around Virgil’s shoulders. “I’ll help.”

“As long as the shop actually gets decorated.”

The offended look on Roman’s face had Remy trying to hold back his laughter. “Excuse me, I’ve caught you making out with Patton more times than I would’ve liked!”

Unable to help himself, Remy asked, “Is that something you’re into?”

Roman’s face went red in a split second. “No!”

With an awkward cough, Logan gathered everyone’s attention once more. “Virgil, if you’d like to head the planning of this party -”

“Yes.”

Patton giggled at just how excited Virgil was. Logan pecked him on the cheek. “If you have any questions, you know where my office is. Roman, can I speak to you privately? I’d like to go over your ideas for the Christmas party.”

“You mean the Christmas Extravaganza!”

The two of them headed into Logan’s office and Patton darted back into the kitchen, leaving Virgil and Remy at the counter by themselves.

“What are your spooky plans?” Remy asked, already trying to figure out a couple’s costume in his head. He certainly had options, Emile watched a lot of cartoons.

“I know Pat’s not fond of spiders, but spiderwebs are okay.” Virgil mused, scribbling ideas down on a piece of receipt paper. “Ro can get some dry ice from the theater and we can have a steaming cauldron on one of the tables…”

Remy served up a few customers as Virgil rambled on, despite not technically being on the clock.

Just as Virgil glanced up to find the line gone, shouting was heard through the cafe.

“Come on, Lo!”

“A real tree will leave pine needles everywhere!”

Remy rolled his eyes. “Those two might argue constantly, but when it comes down to the wire they’re a great team.”

“Ten bucks says they fight over hanging up mistletoe.” Virgil said, not even looking at the customer he was serving. The girl was doing a terrible job looking annoyed, a grin cracking through her facade.

“Please, they both love excuses to shower their boyfriends in kisses.” Remy teased, laughing as Virgil’s face lit up. “And I wouldn’t mind an excuse for kissing my lovely partner.”

“Speaking of, where is Emile?”

“It’s hard to get Em out of my bed, if you know what I mean.” Wiggling his eyebrows, Remy snorted at Virgil’s disgusted face. “I’m heading back there now.”

“Let Em get some fresh air!”

A wicked grin crossed Remy’s face. “The windowsill is a new idea.”

“Oh my god, just go!”

Laughing, Remy left the coffee shop. When he re-entered his apartment, he found Emile making pancakes in the kitchen. He hadn’t heard Remy come in and was humming the Steven Universe theme under his breath.

Tiptoeing over, Remy wrapped his arms around Emile, the scent of the pancakes filling his nose. Emile leaned back into his embrace with a soft sigh.

Remy pressed a kiss to Emile’s hair. “You could’ve stayed in bed.”

“I could have, but we both know when you came back, I wouldn’t have left until it was time for my appointments today.” Emile teased, flipping over a pancake. He leaned back, giggling as Remy kissed his nose. “I love you, but you can’t hold me hostage in your bed all day.”

“That was one time!” Spinning Emile around, Remy began to pepper kisses all over his face. “Thanks for the pancakes, my darling.”

The familiar blush took over Emile’s cheeks. He pressed a chaste kiss to Remy’s lips before putting the last pancake on a plate. “Time to eat!”

They quickly ate their breakfast, doing the dishes together afterwards before Emile ducked into the bathroom to shower.

Remy started doing some of his yoga, laughing as Chai jumped on his back.

“Chai, this is downward  _dog_.”

All he got was a meow in response, with Chai curling up on his back. He modified the rest of his routine to keep Chai there as long as she wanted to be there.

“Oh my goodness gracious, that is adorable!”

Remy shot Emile a grin, noticing the ‘she/her’ charms today. “Adorable enough to keep you here?”

“You know I have patients today.” She caught Chai without any effort as she jumped into Emile’s arms.

Cracking his back as he stood, Remy pulled Emile close. “You’re gone far too often.”

“Why don’t I just -” Emile cut herself off, burying her reddening face into Chai’s fur. “Nevermind.”

“Em, what were you going to say?”

“It’s nothing.”

Leaning in, Remy brushed their noses together. “Please tell me?”

“What if…what if I move in?”

Those words took all of Remy’s breath from his lungs. It was the perfect solution, and Emile was over here all the time anyway, and…

And Emile was currently looking like she was about to cry.

“I don’t have to! I just thought it might be a good idea…”

“Em, it’s the most perfect idea.”

Emile completely lit up, making Remy smile. “Really?”

“How soon can you move in?” Remy dropped his voice, grinning as Emile shivered.

“Rem, don’t do this before I have to work late.” She whined, Chai leaping from her arms as she wrapped them around Remy’s neck.

Gripping her hips, Remy gave her a searing kiss, pulling back after just a moment. “Go be the best therapist in the world.”

Emile nodded, a bit of a dazed look in her eye. “I’m going to stay at my place tonight, it’s closer to the office. And then I can start packing my things a little.”

“I’ll miss you.”

“Rem, I need to go.” Emile said, despite leaning back in for one last kiss, which turned into two, three, four… “Okay, I’m leaving.”

Letting go, Remy took a step back. “I’m not stopping you.”

Emile left, cooing at Chai before shutting the door behind her.

Remy spent the day doing some chores he’d been neglecting. He cleaned up his bedroom, threw in his laundry, and took out his garbage. The dishwasher cycle ended as he came back up from the dumpsters, so he emptied that too, knowing Virgil had probably done it the last few times.

Finishing up with that, he headed out to grab some much needed groceries. Grabbing some Subway on the way back, he was happy to find Logan outside his apartment.

“Hold this.” Remy handed Logan a few bags before fishing his keys out of his pocket.

Logan was right behind him, setting the bags down on the counter and unloading the contents. “I’m going to kill Roman.”

“What did he do?”

“Well…technically he hasn’t done anything.” Logan said, finishing that bag and moving to a new one. “But he’s just so frustrating. He wants a real tree in my shop, just so that he can get that real Christmas smell. And then there’s the fact that he can’t go a few minutes without singing.”

“I thought you liked his singing.”

“I do!” Logan started putting cans away. “But do I need to hear it constantly? Though he has improved quite a bit since college, I can tell he’s been working on it.”

“So why are you going to kill him?” Remy asked, navigating to his voicemails on his phone.

“He just frustrates me so much!”

“Lo, sit down and listen to this, okay?” Waiting until Logan had sat, Remy jacked the volume up on his phone and hit play.

“ _God, he just irritates me._ ” The voice of a younger Logan rang out from the phone. “ _It’s like he’s the sun. Everything is happy and positive with him and…life isn’t like that, you know? I’m worried that he’s going to get hurt someday from some asshole that tries to snuff out his light._ ”

Remy hit pause. “I can keep playing it if you want, but you do realize these rants sound oddly similar, right?”

Logan buried his face in his hands. “Why? I hate feelings, why do I have feelings for two people?”

“I mean, it’s not one-sided.”

“WHAT?”

Remy scrolled through his photos, finding one from their triple date. He turned airdropped it to Logan, who flushed even redder as he noticed the heart eyes Roman had been giving him. “You need to have a talk with Pat.”

“God, what do I even say?” Logan pulled his legs up onto the chair, wrapping his arms around his knees. “We’re engaged, Rem. We’ve been doing so much wedding planning. I can’t - what if this ruins everything?”

“Lo, Patton understands feelings better than anyone I’ve ever met. He’ll understand.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: kissing, implied nsfw

Remy didn’t realize how cold his bed was without Emile by his side. Chai helped a little, curled up next to the small of his back, but he was used to falling asleep to Emile’s soft breaths. Without her there, he slept the worst he had in years.

Which was evident by the look on Virgil’s face when he walked into the shop the next morning.

“Woah, what the hell happened to you?” He asked, finishing up an order and handing it out.

Remy rubbed his eyes under his sunglasses, stifling a yawn. “Em stayed at her place last night because it’s closer to the office. Oh, and I wanted to talk to you about her moving in.”

“It’s cool, she’s there all the time anyway.” Virgil teased. He mixed up a drink, pressing it into Remy’s hand. “Drink that before you clock in. I don’t need you falling asleep on me.”

With a nod, Remy headed into the kitchen. He saw Patton peppering kisses all over a flushed Logan. When he met his cousin’s eyes, he raised an eyebrow, asking a silent question. Logan blushed deeper and nodded.

“So I take it everything is Gucci between you two?”

Patton whirled around, his own face red. “...yeah?”

“An uncertain yeah means there’s more to the story.” Swiveling a chair around, Remy sat and leaned his arms along the back.

He watched as Patton glanced toward the counter, before dropping his voice. “Lo isn’t the only one with a rekindled crush.”

Remy’s eyes widened. “Plot twist.”

“Shh, I don’t want him to hear.” Patton bit his lip. “I know how he is, and I’m worried about what'll happen if I tell him. I don’t want to send him into an attack.”

“The four of you  _ need _ to get together and talk.” Remy chugged the last of his coffee. “Everyone deserves to know what’s going on and who likes who and all that jazz. Like...Pat, do you like Roman?”

Patton shook his head and started kneading some dough. “Not like Lo and V.”

“Logan? What about Virgil?”

“Not romantically.”

“If the four of you sit down and get all the feelings out, you can still make everything work.” Remy stood, flipping his chair back around the right way. “Let me know how it goes with your love decahedron.”

“That’s not even -”

Remy saluted to Logan and headed back to the counter. Together, he and Virgil made it through the morning rush with ease.

Once they were no longer busy, Roman walked up to the counter and started his usual flirt session with Virgil. Which left Remy free to text Emile.

**Remy: What time are you done today babe?**

Fifteen minutes passed before Emile got back to him.

**Love of My Life: Sorry, had a client! I’m done at 2, why?**

**Remy: V is closing, I can help you move stuff over if you want**

**Love of My Life: That would be great! Come over as soon as you’re done?**

**Remy: Of course <3**

**Love of My Life: <3**

Time seemed to stretch out and drag until Remy’s shift was over. But that didn’t mean he was bored. He watched Logan and Patton stealing glances at Roman and Virgil every once in a while, completely oblivious when the two of them looked back over in their direction.

It was getting so hard to keep his smirks to himself.

The bell jingled and a familiar face came up to the counter, holding a white mug.

“Elliot, hey.” Remy gently took the mug. “How are you?”

“Doing great! Just came from a session actually.” Elliot’s eyes flickered over the menu. They seemed a lot happier than when Remy had seen them last. “Can I just get an iced coffee?”

“One iced, coming up.” Remy punched in the order, hearing Virgil make the drink behind him. “It’s been a while.”

“Yeah, it’s taken a while for me to feel comfortable going places by myself.” They said, thanking Virgil when he handed them their drink. “I used to go everywhere with my ex and he kind of became a crutch. But I’ve been working on that and I think this is going to be my regular place.”

“I’m glad things are looking up for you.” Remy gave him a smile, which Elliot returned. “Maybe you’ll find a partner here, or a new friend if you’re not into that kind of thing.”

“Thanks, Remy.” Elliot threw some bills in the tip jar before heading over to the cozy corner.

About an hour after that, they closed up shop. Virgil waved Remy off.

“Go, the four of us can clean up.”

“I don’t even work here!” Roman cried, his voice carrying to the street as Remy left the building.

He only waited a few minutes for his Uber, heading over to Emile’s right away.

Emile answered the knock on the door, a loving smile on their face. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Remy stepped inside, closing the door behind him. “I missed you last night.”

“So did I.” Emile looped their arms around Remy’s neck, burying their face in his chest. “I had to go get like three more blankets.”

Laughter bubbled up out of Remy. He pressed a kiss to Emile’s hair, the two of them basking in the moment.

“I guess we should get packing.” Emile moved to take a step back, restricted by Remy’s arms around them. “Remy.”

“Come on, babe, I don’t even get a kiss first?” Remy teased, delighted when their face started to turn pink.

Emile shook their head. “If I kiss you now, then we won’t pack anything.”

“That’s…completely true.”

“How about this.” Emile pecked Remy on the cheek, getting his undivided attention. “For every box we pack up, I’ll give you a kiss. When we’re done with a room, we can take a short break.”

“You know we’re only going to finish one room before -”

“Let’s go!” Cutting him off, Emile dragged Remy to their bedroom, cheeks quite a bit redder.

Over the rest of the afternoon, the two packed up Emile’s bedroom. Emile quickly threw together a suitcase that had what they needed for a few days, setting that in the living room. Once that was done they moved onto the boxes, making sure to label everything meticulously.

“Logan would be so proud of me.” Remy said as he wrote on a box, earning a giggle from Emile.

By the time they finished, it was nearing seven o’clock. Remy shifted, cracking his back as he got up.

“Who knew you had so much stuff?” He said, giving Emile a teasing smile, before wrapping his arms around them. “Now, I believe we had a deal? We finish the room and take a break?”

“We should probably eat first.” A loud growl punctuated Emile’s sentence, making them both start laughing. Once they’d caught their breath, Emile bumped their nose against Remy’s. “How about we drop my stuff off, feed Chai, eat, and then head back to your place? Virgil said he wouldn’t be home tonight.”

“Perfect.”

After a few kisses, the two of them grabbed Emile’s suitcase and left, smiling and holding hands all the while.


End file.
